Nevermore
by AliceSprings
Summary: Sequel of Spirituals. Ali has found safety in Dernom, as the new queen. But when she finds the 'blessed' Golden Cure, she messes everything up. Edward Pevency of Hercomia wages war. Can she and her small Freedom Army of spirituals defeat his army of well trained professionals? Or will the dark prail for once? rated T for gore and death. Lots and lots of death.
1. Prologue

I never meant to start this. If I could have stopped this, I would have. Hopefully, none of you will have the extreme misfortune to be like me.

Remember this story is fictional unless you believe it, I hope.

To ensure no complaints will come after reading the following story, please sign the below:

I believe this story is untrue and, therefore, fictional. If any of the following events happen to me I will not press charges, but simply do my best to remain sane*.

Signed** _

*again I sincerely hope you are not like me.

**usually I would ask for you to sign in blood, but red pen or ketchup work just as well.


	2. Chapter 1

"Aw, how cute!" Called an all too familiar voice. I broke away from Leo's embrace, just as a cold laugh sounded at the other end of the balcony.

My euphoria about Leo's feelings, however unexpected—really I still don't understand how I didn't see it coming—was drowned out by the sound of Hope's cold laugh. My powers kicked in immediately, and both Leo and I were shielded. Completely.

Sometimes my power to copy any other power was really useful, sometimes it was just a pain in the neck. Right now it was both. Hope was only after me because of my power, but then again, my power kept me safe from her. Annoying.

Leo looked ready to change. Leo could change into a huge bear made of ice and fire at will, but it usually only happened when he got angry. His power was no use at the time. Hope lifted her hand and lightning shot out of it, hitting my impenetrable shield. It bounced off and hit her. I lifted my hand and shot more lightning at her, it passed through my shield harmlessly, then hit Hope hard. She wobbled backward. I sent a gust of wind to push her further. Then I made a wall of fire around her. After a second of thought, I changed that. Fire is not a good idea in a palace. I changed it to be a box of bedrock. I heard crashes from within. Hope was trying to blast her way out. I laughed darkly.

Leo laughed too, and pulled me into another embrace. Well, tried to. Luke appeared in the doorway at that instant, so I broke away, giggling at Luke's murderous look. Then he turned his attention to the stone box, with the lightning trying to break it apart. Hope was failing, obviously. Luke laughed. Me and Leo managed to slip away before he noticed. We went straight to the dance floor. Luke came after us many times, but I just turned us invisible to him. It was fun. I think I danced more than I ever had in my life before in that one night.

When I woke up in the morning, I regretted it all. Especially the drinks. That punch was defiantly spiked with alcohol. I sat up with a groan. Hangover, hangover. Clutching my head I stood up. My side still hurt from landing yesterday. I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was in a sloppy plait, my clothes were ruffled and crumpled. The bruises on my side were red. Apart from that, I looked fine. My cheeks were slightly flushed, but in a nice way. The sea scented perfume I wore the night before still fragranced my skin. My eyes were bright, skin tanned, lips full and pink. I smiled at my reflection.

I changed out of my pyjamas into a pair of blue jeans and purple top with a bubble design. I dug my bow and arrows out of my bag and slung the quiver over my shoulder, leaving the bow inside. I tucked my little purse on to one of the belt hooks on my jeans. It was tiny, but held infinite items, and was easy to carry, unlike Leo's huge backpack. I smiled as I walked out of my room, having laced up my new boots. This castle was nice, it was truly a shame we had to leave. But I really didn't want to live in a castle or palace or anything like that. I'd be perfectly content in a little cottage with some tricks for space inside. Lottie gave me that idea unintentionally. She always knew about Dernom, but couldn't get there alone.

On my way down to the dining hall, I thought about it. I would leave Lottie in charge of Dernom, like a vice president of something. I'd check up on her every now and then. Yeah, that sounded about right.

I went into the dining room and grabbed some cereal. I dumped some milk on top and took a spoon. I sat down at an empty table. Well all the tables were empty. I picked up one of the empty goblets, wishing there was some water inside. Suddenly there was. I took an experimental sip. Magic cups. I thought it was such an irrelevant idea. Magic cups, I mean what in the world!? Why can't there be a magic map to show me where the Golden Cure was!? I laughed quietly. Then I heard a shout. I ran out of the hall, still clutching the goblet to find out what was going on.

Leo stood on the stairs looking around frantically.

"Leo! What's going on?" I panted. He spun on his heel and sighed in relief. He pulled me into a tight embrace.

"I couldn't find you. Don't so that to me!" I recognised what I told him yesterday when he snuck up on me. I laughed, still breathless.

"Did it ever cross your mind that I might have gone down to breakfast? It is already nine. We should go soon, we've got to find the cure remember?" I shook with suppressed laughter. I could imagine Leo scowling. We went back down to the breakfast hall. I sat down while Leo grabbed some food. I started shovelling cereal into my mouth. It was soggy, but still fine.

When we had both finished eating, Trish stomped into the hall. I shook my hands out nervously. Seeing her expression, Leo took my hand under the table. I squeezed it lightly, knowing she was going to explode at him for shouting and waking her up. Then she groaned, surprising us both.

"So you finally told her, Leo?" she asked, grinning. I raised an eyebrow.

"Finally? Just how long have you been waiting to tell me?" I looked at Leo. He flushed bright red.

"A long time. I realised when we were captured by the Spirit Hunters actually…" he grinned at my livid expression. He waited _how long_ to tell me!? I frowned.

"Well, come on. We have a Golden Cure to find, don't we?" I said, fed up of this conversation already.

"Yes ma'am!" Leo said with a salute. We all laughed.

I looked up. The food hall had a glass ceiling. I could see Blaze the phoenix and Griffy, my gryphon, playing together in the air. I could hear faint yaps, as if Madison, my metalfang, wanted to play as well. I chuckled. Leo looked up and smiled. We all adored the animals. They had helped us through the mortal world, and would hopefully help us through Dernom. Trish finished her breakfast quickly. We headed out to saddle up the animals.

I put a saddle on Griffy and Madison. They badly needed it. Both saddles were large enough to seat two, so we would be fine no matter the arrangement. We got on, just as I remembered something. Whitney commented last night that she wanted a MP3 player, and all the songs by her favourite artist, Sam Smith. Apparently she also love Beyoncé and Chris Brown . And I did owe her after she taught me two mind tricks that had pretty much save my life. With a wave of my hand, one appeared on the ground, programmed with all Sam Smith, Chris Brown and Beyoncé's songs. I wrapped it and added a tag with my powers and left it on the doorstep for Whitney. I urged Griffy into the air. I made Madison fly with us over the palace walls.

Then I dropped her and Trish to the ground. Leo held my waist tighter. As we soared high above the ground, I stretched out my arms with a whoop. Leo dug his head into my shoulder. I laughed into the rushing air. Absorbing my excitement, Leo lifted his head and looked around.

"You scared of heights? Or just Griffy?" I asked with a giggle. He put on a mock scowl.

"Both. I barely trust this monster!" He grinned. I suppressed a smile. "What are you planning? Ali?" His voice shook lightly. I patted Griffy's side, unlike with Madison, this was a signal to go faster, add some fun. With a squawk, Griffy launched into a smooth loop-the-loop. Then he started a weaving, looping, almost dancing routine that had even me clutching his feathers. But I loved the rush. Leo dug his head back into my shoulder, screaming into my back. I laughed and patted Griffy's side again. With a slight whimper, he slowed to his normal speed. Leo lifted his head and I could feel his glare on my face. I kept grinning.

"You will pay for that, eventually." He said. I chuckled.

"Like at Lily Lake? Where you couldn't even catch me? Or are you going to try, and then end up just making me laugh? You choose!" I said light-heartedly.

He growled in frustration, right in my ear. I laughed again. Then I scanned the horizon. All I could see was blue-green-grey water. Griffy dropped into a sudden nose dive. I flattened against his feathers. Leo lay against my back.

Madison and Trish pounced out of the forest just as I was getting off of Griffy. Every time, my grace improved. Unfortunately, every time Leo got off, his grace was much worse. Much worse. This time, as he scrambled to get off, he landed, face first, in the white sand of the beach. I laughed, a few metres away already. I walked down the beach, hugging the coastline. Trish helped Leo up and they followed me, straying back on the soft sand. I looked out at the sea. I would have to go scouting, since I was the fastest.

In a flash of ecru light (the light was slightly off, probably because we were in a different world), I was in a pair of fabric shorts and a tight top that clung to my figure. My feet were bare. Perfect for swimming. I took a deep breath and broke into a run, letting the seawater lick my feet. I continued on. I dived once I was in deep enough water. It was warm enough. I swam on. Leo and Trish waited at the edge of the water. Leo looked anxious. Trish grinned widely.

"Where are you going, Ali?" Leo called out. I laughed warmly.

"Exploring! It's just noon, so we need a scout. I'm the fastest!" I called back, then I disappeared under the water. I swam off, looking for any signs of underwater caves. I searched the east coast first. There I found a slight indent in the rock. It was made of bedrock, instead of the standard slate. I pressed against it lightly, wondering.

It opened, revealing a cave. I swam inside, breathing in the cool water. Nothing happened. I continued deeper, unable to see. Then I heard a garbled yell.

"Get out of here!" Or that's what I think was said. A bang echoed through the cave and pain shot through my shoulder, tendrils of the white fire spreading through my body. It was obviously coated in something.

I cried out, my shoulder stinging and throbbing from the impact of the bullet and the salt of the water surrounding me. I swam back, my shoulder rendering my right arm useless. I tried to keep going, but I knew I was about to collapse. After a quick thought, I surrounded myself with an air bubble, as the darkness closed in on me.

For once, I was in a dreamless dream, wandering around the darkness aimlessly.

My eyes flickered open of their own accord. A unfamiliar face peered down at me.

Short cropped brown hair covered his head, and wild blue eyes watched me carefully. Full lips pursed, and a long thin nose. But in some way it was elegant, I think. He was about 17, only a year older than myself.

"Are you okay?" He asked, almost straight away. Pushing him back, I sat up, dizzy. I glanced around the room. The back wall was covered in weapons—guns, swords, daggers, spears, tridents, axes, if it was a weapon, it was there. There was a door leading to… somewhere. It was underwater, but we were in a sort of air pocket. On the other wall was another indent of bedrock buried in the slate. My head and shoulder throbbed, my shoulder also producing a deep ache. Ignoring the boy's question, I stood up, slower than usual. I wished there was something to tell me the time. Leo and Trish might be worried, or they might not. I had no clue how long I'd been there.

The boy moved to block my way as I tried to get a closer look at the bedrock. It was a sign about the Golden Cure, I knew it. I just did. I felt myself glaring at him, unintentionally.

"Excuse me," I said quietly, "May I see that? It's weird to see bedrock among this slate." I explained. It was true, so even if he was like Trish and could detect secrets, I wasn't technically lying.

"No. You can't. Yet." He replied smoothly, gently pushing my right shoulder, sending spikes of pain through it. I winced and stumbled back, dark spots dancing across my vision. I bit down on my tongue to keep from groaning.

Then I realised; this boy was the one who shot me. I gritted my teeth, and swiped my hand forwards. A piece of sharpened and whittled coral sprung out of my shoulder, landing on the floor. It was barbed. I pressed my hand to the wound, hard, to stop the blood flow. The boy started forwards, then stopped, his hand only an inch from mine. He looked like he wanted to help me, but my glare made it quite clear that I didn't want his help. I needed to get back to Leo. He had the only medical kit.

I looked down at myself, willing my little purse to appear. My shorts changed to denim and the bag appeared. I scrutinised it for a second before I noticed that it was now made of a waterproof fabric. I opened it and some sterile white bandage appeared, with a bottle of water, warm and soothing. I took another step back, so I pressed against the door at the other side of the room. I slid down to the floor, and, ignoring the boy, tended to my shoulder. I took out a piece of ragged cloth to wipe away the blood. It was a long and tedious task, but it was necessary. After that I did my best to wrap it up, tying it loosely, then adding a loop around my chest to keep it secure.

The boy just stood there, watching me. Then I heard a screech from behind me. I turned around, recognising it immediately. Griffy. I smiled and threw open the door, holding the water back with my power. I dived into it and slammed the door behind me. I swam with my left arm and legs, keeping my right pressed against my side. I swam to the edge of the cave and found the bedrock. I pressed my hand against it, opening the path. I kicked relentlessly, gathering speed and bursting out of the water. Leo urged Griffy into action, swooping down and catching me himself. He wrapped his arm around my waist and hoisted me into the saddle behind him. I wrapped my left arm around him.

Looking down, I saw the boy, glaring up at Griffy. I patted his side gently, and Griffy flipped backwards and skimmed the water in front of the boy, splashing him madly.

"That's for shooting at me!" I yelled. Then we headed back to the beach, where Trish waited, pacing.


	3. Chapter 2

If there is one thing I hate, its being helped when I can't return the favour. In this case, Leo was sitting there, rebinding my shoulder. Trish fried some fish. Griffy and Madison pressed against me in turns, keeping me warm after my 'dip' in the sea.

After Leo's done, I stood up, startling both Griffy and Madison. Griffy seemed hesitant to move. Madison bended in front of me, letting me climb onto her back. I looked over at Leo. He smiled ruefully.

"You're going after that boy, aren't you?" He smiled gently. Well dur. Nobody shoots me and gets away with it, not even then. I gritted my teeth and nodded. "Well, budge up then, I'm coming."

Just what I expected. He knew he couldn't stop me so he had to come with me.

Madison swam quite well. She took us near to the bedrock cave. I made her a tiny island, connected to the slate cliffs. Then I dived into the water, the salt stinging my shoulder yet again. God, it was going to be hard to fight like this. I touched the bedrock and waited as it slid upwards and out of sight. I swam in, creating a shield straight away. I heard the same garbled yell.

"Get out of here!" The boy shouted. He came out of the shadows, looking surprised. Leo swam behind me then, his hand hovering over my shot shoulder. He was obviously outraged. I pushed him behind me, away from my shoulder, for his own protection. The boy waited where he was, knowing I would come forward eventually, but he eyed Leo apprehensively, like he was an obstacle he hadn't expected. I smiled slightly and swam forwards. The boy let me pass, and I pushed straight through the door to the room ahead. I turned, unsurprised that Leo wasn't coming. I waved my hand, creating a air bubble for him. He took a deep breath and looked at me anxiously. I smiled, showing him I'd be fine. The boy came through the door and slammed it shut. I grimaced.

"Real mature, I'm sure." I commented. The boy laughed.

"You've got nerve coming back, Chosen. But I guess you have to…" he grinned suddenly. "My name is Ben, as I was trying to say before your annoying gryphon showed up. I'll pick it up from there, shall I?"

My eyebrows furrowed. "You guard the Golden Cure, right? Well can somebody explain what in the world it is!?" I raised an eyebrow.

"It is a series of scrolls, detailing a cure to spiritualality. That means being a spiritual. It's a way to get rid of your powers." He smirked. Then I understood why I was meant to find it, or I thought I did. It was so nobody used it against others and wiped them of their powers. But it would be useful for some people… No, it had to be destroyed, I thought to myself. I had to destroy it.

"So that's what it is…" I muttered. I thought about it carefully. Leo said I was the 'only one who could help him', did he mean by finding the Golden Cure? By erasing his powers?

I grimaced again. Then I started towards the bedrock, knowing what to do. I would read the scrolls then destroy them, so nobody else could ever know how to do it.

The boy blocked my way again. I growled in frustration.

"Get out of my way! Seriously, I'm just going to read them, then destroy them. The information could be misused, so it's probably better off destroyed." I tried to push him out of my way, with no luck. Ben moved round me, so quickly he was just a blur, and pulled me back by the shoulder. I gritted my teeth against the screaming pain. I pulled my dagger out of my purse and sent it in to the first thing I could hit. Which just happened to be his leg. I yanked my dagger back. He staggered back and fell to the floor. I rushed forwards and pressed my palm against the bedrock indent. It shimmered and disappeared. It must have been the first time it had been opened. Ahead of me was another cave of water. Huffing a sigh, I dived into the water wall, activating my underwater breathing.

It wasn't salt water, I noted with relief as I swam on. My bandage was loose and trailed behind me, slowing my progress. I sliced at it with my dagger, detaching it from my shoulder. It floated slowly to the floor. I swam on, hating the long cavern already.

Going on, I began to doubt that the Golden Cure was even there. What if it was just as real as the cryptids we fantasised? Those thought were squashed by the ethereal light that glowed from round a corner of the cave. I swam round it cautiously.

Then I saw it. Another water wall, and there a single scroll, encased in amber. I walked on the floor of the cave the best I could until I reached the air pocket. I swiped the amber up, ignoring possible consequences that relayed in my mind. I shoved it into my purse, then teleported back to Leo, in his little air bubble.

He pulled me into an embrace.

"We have to go, I have it." I said, destroying the bubble, leaving a smaller one around his head. We swam to the bedrock. I pressed my palm against it again. Nothing happened. I groaned. Trap. I took hold of Leo's arm and teleported out of there, to the water just outside.

The water was calm. I pulled us straight to the surface and started swimming, as quickly as I could. I didn't know why I was so desperate to escape until I noticed a glint in the water. Of course, another trap. Silver chains surrounded the area, obviously meant to trap the victim and drag them underwater to drown them. It was illogical to me, since anybody who could get in and out of the cave had to be able to breathe underwater and teleport or break through the bedrock in some way. Or were the chains not supposed to drown?

The thought made more sense, so I had to avoid them. Again, I took hold of Leo's arm and teleported to the beach.

Trish was pacing along the length of the beach, Madison hot on her heels. I smiled lightly and sat down near the little fire she had built. I turned the sea bass over to make sure they fried though.

"I got it." I said, making Trish flinch in surprise. Leo laughed lightly. I managed to finish the sea bass before Trish and Leo started to asking questions. They asked all sorts about what happened and the Golden Cure. I eluded them all. I didn't want to talk about the wretched scroll encased in amber that made my purse feel heavy for the first time _ever_. I half wished I had never found it.

That night, I took watch. Leo and Trish fell asleep near to the forests, in case we needed a quick escape from Ben, if he ever figured out I was gone. I stayed near the ocean, the tide washing over my feet when it came in. I turned the amber over and over, thinking about how to get the scroll out. Then, as I turned it in my hands, the amber started to melt away, soon leaving just the scroll. I looked down at the amber. It had solidified as a perfect cube, trapping a small shell inside. I looked at it carefully. The shell changed, turning into pure gold. I stuffed the amber into my purse. Then I turned back to the scroll. I needed a light…

A lantern popped into my hand. Convenient. I had forgotten to close my bag. I did so then, and looked at the scroll, reading the gold printed words. It listed items for a potion of sorts. Most of it seemed fairly safe, until I came across the last three ingredients—doll's eye berries, belladonna and castor seeds. All three were toxic to humans. I stared at the list. It certainly was dangerous. It could be brewed as a potion, a gas, or even an undetectable substance in foods. I was right, it was for use on unwilling subjects as well as willing ones. Glaring down at the scroll, I made a fire on my palm. The paper absorbed the flames, and was reduced to mere ash in seconds. I allowed myself to relax as I let the wind scatter the ashes of the dangerous Golden 'Cure'. It seemed like the so called cure did nothing more than incapacitate the ingested and kill them, not wipe them of power, unless, spirituals could not be poisoned by such things. I thought back to the scroll. Although the poisons were listed, so were the antidotes. So the cure did work. But it was still more of a weapon than a cure.

"What is the cure then?" Leo asked from behind me. I didn't even flinch, I was so wrapped in hostile and unwanted thoughts.

"Poison." I answered darkly.

The next morning, I told Leo and Trish about the cure in full, not listing all the ingredients though, knowing it could be used a weaponry.

"Well, you were right to destroy it. I feel much safer now, knowing nobody can wipe me of my powers." Trish said with a grin.

We all laughed. Nothing could be funnier than the fact that we were 'safe'.

I looked out at the sea, thinking happy thoughts that had refused to enter my mind earlier that morning. The sun shone in the sky and I suddenly swiped my hand down, splashing Leo and Trish with water. They glared at me as I took off running, the water not slowing my progress due to my undiscovered powers. I felt a surge of pleasure. Maybe I wasn't just a copier. Maybe I was something more. Then I remembered the Percy Jackson series, Percy had power over water, so I was just controlling it myself, in a new way. But I smiled as they approached me slowly, cautiously. A flash of light surrounded them and they were in clothes like mine, shorts and tank tops and bare feet. They grinned as they reached me, slowed by the water. I headed deeper as they advanced, then there was a sudden dip in the ocean floor. Dramatically gasping, I made a show of falling back over it. The water covered me and I took a deep breath, swimming down to hide. There was an cave like dip in the stone which I hid in. I used my powers to see though the stone. Leo and Trish came to the edge of the stone ledge. I smiled and watched them pass right over me. They swam to deeper water, looking around in confusion. I swam out of my hiding place, and went back over the ledge, appearing back on the shoreline, watching Leo and Trish search the water, I suppressed my laughter, to keep the illusion going. Then Trish figured out what I had done, she turned back and saw me, but Leo remained oblivious. She inclined her head to him. I shook my head. She turned back to the water out further to sea as Leo turned to look at her. I smiled, pressing my lips together to stop my almost uncontrollable laughing.

Then I saw a ship on the horizon, coming closer at an impossible rate. Gasping, I called out.

"Get back here now! Leo, Trish!" I bellowed at the top of my voice. They turned just as the ship neared them. A net was cast down and the two entangled in it. Gritting my teeth, I marched forth to save them. Then men dropped to the ground, coming straight for me.

"Grab the girl too, she'll be useful!" A calm voice called. Two men rushed at me. In an explosion of power, sonic waves hit them, sending them reeling back. I growled and stalked forward, purpose filling every stride. When I reached the ship, I felt wings spread on my back. They spread and I flew upwards, copying the power of a Marvel character, Angel. I landed on the deck, glaring murderously at the crew.

A boy stepped forwards, grinning from ear to ear. Short black hair and stubble covered his head and face. Green eyes searched mine. He was tanned and muscular and tall. He was roughly my age, and had startlingly perfect features, strong chin, normal sized nose, full lips. I sighed in annoyance. What was going on?

"Ah, this is refreshing. I haven't seen a prisoner come aboard on their own for a long time!" he said, his grin widening. I shuddered. So that's why I was feeling unsettled by him.

"Yeah, sorry to burst your bubble, but we're going to be going now—" I disappeared. I walked invisibly past him and took hold of Leo and Trish's arms. They looked like they were still struggling, but they were actually getting ready to teleport. We landed on the beach. This was one of those times that I loved my powers.

Then I saw the silver chains.

They matched the ones from under the water. I knew it! They were meant to trap somebody underwater.

They shot out, four heading for each one of us. I pushed Leo and Trish out of the way, just as a dozen chains hit their marks. Eight landed in midair and fell to the ground. The other four wrapped around me. They had barbed points that dug into my skin. I pressed my lips together to keep from crying out. I pulled on my arm, hoping to disentangle it from the many coils of chain. My efforts were unrewarded. I heard Griffy in my head.

 _'What can I do, Ali? Are you okay?'_ he asked. I nodded weakly. The chains were coated in something, probably some sort of sleeping drug. I called out to him.

"Get Leo and Trish back to the castle safely! Please Griffy!" I shouted out. The gryphon squawked and ushered Leo and Trish onto Madison with his wings. Madison barked and dived into the forest, going at her top speed, which I knew was _really_ fast.

Griffy didn't leave though, and I knew why. Leo and Trish were safe as they could get with Madison. He flew over to me, and bit at the chains. Nothing happened, I struggled against them. I thought about doing a She-Hulk like transformation, but was discouraged when my head started spinning and my shoulder went numb. Sleeping formula, I was right. I strained against the chains once more before the serum claimed me.

I awoke from a dreamless sleep to a dark room. Well, it was actually the hold of the ship. I sat up, planning how to get off the ship, when I heard a squawk from above. Griffy. I rose to my feet and rushed to the upper deck.

The boy from yesterday was working with Ben to shoot Griffy out of the sky. I growled furiously. Nobody shot at my gryphon. Nobody. I started forwards, only to be held back by another chain. I pulled my leg free with one move, copying powers yet again. The Incredibles, I thought. Yeah, I was copying Mr Incredible. Then I went invisible, still copying the superheroes from my favourite Pixar movie.

I strode over to the crossbow-like machine that was firing nets and with one touch, re-aimed the mechanism. Ben took a shot, and the net flew backwards, hitting the boys and entangling them in the golden weave. I smiled and reappeared.

"Never shoot at _my_ gryphon, you will always regret it!" I announced. Then, with a high pitched whistle, I jumped over the side of the ship. For a second, I fell down towards the crashing waves. Then Griffy snatched me out of the air.

I gave out a whoop as we soared high into the air.

 _'Should we follow them?'_ Griffy asked. I looked down at the ship. It was headed due north, away from the land I knew. Was there other land to explore?

I nodded and swooped down again, low enough to that I could have easily been shot out of the air, if any of the crossbows were still working and loaded.

The boys stood on the deck staring at me.

"So, now you know you can't catch me! I doubt anybody really can!" I piped cheerfully. The a net soared over my head. I narrowly avoided it. Boom. An explosion knocked me off of Griffy, and I dived underwater, transforming. My mermaid tail matched the colour of my top, gleaming a metallic black as my clothes morphed into armour.

I smiled. Of course my powers wouldn't fail me now, would they? But who is the world was I copying? It was no doubt some hero from Luke's endless comic collections. I looked up, and saw a familiar symbol, although I was sure I hadn't seen it on my extended stay at the headquarters of my foe.

YQY

The symbol was printed in gold on the bottom of a warship. After a second, I knew who I was facing: Spirit Hunters. Oh great. I sighed in the underwater world. A curious shark made his way closer to me, slowly. It didn't seem to be in a frenzy… yet. I chewed the inside of my cheek, a stress reaction I found I did in my sleep. Perversely, my ragged and tender skin didn't hurt. I guess I did it so often that I no longer noticed the pain. It would make sense.

The shark neared me and bumped, almost affectionately against my side. I laughed—underwater it sounded more like a gurgling giggle—and took hold of the shark's dorsal fin when it offered it to me, still for a mere second.

Then we swam together, racing past the ship. I saw a flash of brilliant red above me and got too inquisitive. My curiosity was my weakest point.

I flew out of the water, my new tail providing the lift I wanted, and the spray that made to all the more fun.

The red turned out to be Lucy, her hair to be precise. She wore a standard grey jumpsuit with the Spirit Hunter's logo printed in black on it. On her head there was a black band, that was decorated with silver studs. It only took the few seconds I had above surface to realise that it was more than just an accessory. She looked at me apologetically before her eyes went blank.

"She's here!" Lucy called in a monotonic voice. But it wasn't her usual voice… was something controlling her?

I dived back underwater, my tail spiralled down, searching for my shark friend. He swam back over to me and offered me his fin again. I looked back at the ship, hesitating minutely. Then I took hold of the fin and we swam off, ducking under the first ship.

Bang! A missile shot though the water, narrowly missing me. I gasped, annoyed. Who was shooting missiles at me!? I growled and grimaced. My shark friend barred his teeth.

"Don't. Go, I'll be fine." I said quietly. The shark hesitated, but swam off eventually. I turned back to the ships, just as another missile shot though the water, hitting me in the side. The hit blasted me back, and a net entangled me. I growled as I struggled. Then I thought of something. I curled in on myself and the net curled around me, then I stretched out, breaking the net's hold on me. It was like escaping Chinese handcuffs. I laughed aloud at the thought. Then I shot out of the water, above the first ship, that I had woken up on. I saw Griffy circling over me, but ignored him as I baited the Spirit Hunters. Another net shot towards me. I dived down at the last second. The net caught on the sail of the first ship and I swam off, under the second ship. There, I saw a barge, made of wood and ornately carved gold. I swam down to it.

It was in prime condition. I sat on board and made it float up. At best, the little thing would do 17 knots on its own, with my help…

I grinned as I pushed the boat to the surface. I climbed aboard, sneaking a look back at the Spirit Hunter's galleon. I saw Ron aboard, staring at me. Damn him, I couldn't leave my friends again!

I turned the barge around and sailed towards the ship, almost unwilling. I flew aboard.

Ron stared at me in awe.

"What are you doing!? Get out of here!" he hissed. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not leaving you guys again." I whispered. "Trish would kill me!"

Ron nodded. I saw he was wearing one of those silver studded headbands. He noticed my stare.

"It prevents us from using our powers, and turns them against us. I'm so glad I can only talk to animals. If I could do anything more, we'd be in so much trouble!" He sighed.

So that's why Lucy ratted me out, and why she had that blank look in her eyes when she did it. Oh. Oh!

Bang! The doors behind me exploded and a man in grey overalls came out. He wore no headband, so he obviously wasn't a spiritual. I expanded my shield to include Ron. He took hold of my arm and pulled me away from the man, forcing the shield back. The water around the boat swirled and jumped out to join us; it solidified into a sword.

I took hold of it and swung it in front of me. Half of it took off and splashed the man so forcefully that he fell backwards and nearly tumbled off the boat. I swung again, and this time, the water lifted him from the ground and pushed him overboard. I whistled to Griffy.

Griffy landed next to me and head butted my side.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry! Come on though. Can you take Ron to that little barge? I'm going to go get the others." I explained before Griffy could start squawking.

 _'Fine. You have ten minutes, or I'm coming after you!'_ I laughed and patted his head. Ron got on, and Griffy took off. As soon as they were in the air, Ron began to chatter to my gryphon. Griffy did a roll in midair, causing Ron to fall off, right onto the boat. I suppressed a smile. I walked off to find the others.

There were no others, I quickly realised. The ship was empty. So was all of this an illusion? As soon as I thought that, I was plummeting back to the water, and the boat was completely gone. I swam to my barge and heaved myself aboard. Ron looked apologetic.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I had orders from Lucy, and you know how _persuasive_ she can be." He apologised with a short laugh. It was a tense and anxious sound. I laughed warmly and waved my hand, setting the ropes and sails and even the rudder. The water around us bubbled, waiting for the boat to be ready. Then the current started, pushing us forwards, propelling us towards Dernom's mainland.

As we went, I listened to the music the sea created around us. Eventually I was humming along to the steady beat of the waves against the sides of the barge. We reached land in no time.

It was Dernom. It was the same beach where I had burned the Golden Cure.

Griffy jumped off the barge and flapped his wings impatiently. I laughed and mounted quickly. Ron got on behind me, holding my waist hesitantly.

Then Griffy took off. He remembered the rout perfectly, and the routine that went with it… I flattened against Griffy's feathers for the loop. We reached the palace by nightfall.


	4. Chapter 3

I walked straight to the door and they swung open, courtesy of Jay. I asked him to sort out a room for Ron. Jay ran off, with Ron trotting after him. I shook my head lightly and wandered off, looking for somewhere quiet to think. I find the little balcony where me and Leo kissed, and looked out. It was the first time I realised he was in love with me, and that I was in love with him. It was a happy memory.

The stars above me shone brightly, enveloping me in my thoughts and their bright light. My mind drifted off, thinking about where the boats could have possibly been headed. Are there other countries? I would have to go exploring soon.

Then I heard somebody stomping though the ballroom behind me. I sighed quietly and turned, expecting to see Luke, ready to shout at me.

It was Leo. His expression was enraged as he strode forwards to meet me. I thought I know what to expect.

"Leo, I'm so—" I started. Leo pulled me into him, and crushed his lips down against mine. His arms snaked round my waist, keeping me in place, even when I started to pull away. But he wouldn't let me move.

When he finally let me pull back, his expression was so pained that it shocked me into silence.

"If you _ever_ leave me like that again…" he trailed off. I laughed quietly.

"Is that what this is about? Leo, I didn't do it on purpose. You know that." I laughed gently. Leo tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. I laughed lightly and kissed his cheek.

We walked, hand in hand, back inside. Leo led me silently to the dining hall. I stopped him outside.

"How much am I going to hate this? Honestly, please?" I scowled. I hated huge occasions.

"If I know you well enough, then you are going to despise this. Truly and honestly." He grinned. I groaned and steeled myself, before pushing the doors open.

I regretted it more than anything else I had done in the past week or two.

The walls were freshly painted—no doubt with magic—in a beautiful ecru. An _enormous_ table stretched the length of the hall, covered in a creamy pink table. The plates were real china, the cutlery 24 carot gold. Each place had a golden magic goblet. The silver serving plates were empty, but the room was bursting with life. People scurried back and forth, talking and practising powers to set out powers. I watched a girl with ice powers use a pillar of ice to transport ten plates, with cutlery, to the end of the table. They organised themselves with the help of Jay.

I hated it.

I cringed at the thought of how Lottie had managed to set this up. Whitney spotted me and waved me over. I went blankly. Leo wrapped his arm around my waist and held me closer to him. When we got to Whitney, she spun on her heel, glaring at me. Then she grinned.

"You are honestly the best friend in the world. EVERY Sam Smith song, and every Beyoncé and every Chris Brown. Seriously, you pay close attention." She grinned even wider, taking the MP3 out of her jean pocket. For the first time, I noticed the colour and design. It was sleek and black, with 'Whitney' printed in silver print on the back. It took me a second to realise it was platinum. Wow, did I do that?

"Thorough," Leo commented. I elbowed him lightly. Then Whitney frowned suddenly. She took my arm and tugged me away from Leo, dragging me off. We walked though the palace, my arm throbbing from the grip of her hand.

"I have a job for you." She announced. "You see, my friend Cornelia, she hates her house, but has nowhere to go if she leaves. Can you go help her, offer her a home here, while you're still being the _best best best_ friend in the world?"

I looked around the dank basement.

"Where is her house?" I sighed. This would be fun.

Whitney grinned at gave me some directions. She lived in a country near Dernom, on the continent.

"Oh, and by the way, she's a countess, at least the heiress to the Tookey fortune." Whitney added. Perfect. Even more fun.

I sighed and we walked back to the banquet hall.

When we came in, Lottie ushered me to a seat, right at the front, next to Leo. Then she steps up on to a raised platform. The whole hall goes silent.

"We are delighted to…" Lottie started, but I could barely hear her, so how could the people at the back. I flicked my wrist and her voice was projected, like she was using a microphone.

"So welcome our Chosen, Ali! She will soon be off to find as many spirituals as possible, and gather them to Dernom. We already have people building houses around us, so we can accommodate all the spirituals." Her voice echoed though the hall. She gave me a grateful look as she continued.

"Are you doing that?" Leo whispered, taking my hand under the table. I nodded gently. When Lottie had finished waffling on, food appeared on the table. I utterly respected whoever could make food appear like that.

Lottie sat across from me. With another flick of my wrist, her voice returned to normal. I nodded at her.

"That was awesome, Ali! How did you do that?" she wondered aloud. I thought. Then I shrugged, I honestly had no clue.

I had to be copying somebody…

I rethought everything I'd done. All of it was copying, I could come up with a correct character for all of my powers.

"Harry Potter, I think. Just without a wand." I said. Yes, that was the only explanation.

But what about the clothes? Could I be copying something without realising it? And the perfume out of thin air?

I ignored the dubious thoughts and focused on the dinnertime chat. Leo seemed to notice that I was out of it. Whitney and Lottie blabbered on, oblivious to my low attention span that night. Well, for a while.

"Ali? Ali? Ali!" my head snapped up. "Were you even listening?" Whitney groaned. I sheepishly shook my head.

"'kay, can you be a girl for thirty seconds, while I tell you something?" Whitney looked sceptically at me.

"I'm always a girl!" I exclaimed. Whitney gave me a look. "Do you mean, a girly, gossipy girl?" She nodded. I sighed deeply, but agreed.

"Okay, well, last night me and Jay were talking, and then he kissed me! _He kissed me_!" she repeated slowly, pronouncing each syllable carefully. Then I exploded in a disgusting display of girly, gossipy gruesomeness.

"What!? How, when, why?" I giggled. I tried to regain my composure quickly, failing terribly.

"You can be a girl!" Whitney rejoiced. I groaned and hid my face in my hands, ashamed of myself.

That night, I discussed the problem with Countess Cornelia with Leo. We worked out a plan, and told Trish. We were all ready.

We left early morning again.

I took a magic cooler box that Lottie had told me about. I shoved four goblets in there, remembering we'd be returning with Cornelia.

We set out together, all on Madison, Griffy following behind us. We were all actually quite comfortable. We stopped at noon, after about five hours of running. Madison plopped down at the base of a large tree, and fell immediately into a deep, contented sleep.

I sat down by the tree next to her and simply closed my eyes, lost in thought. I'd been thinking about my powers again, while we were running, and about the Golden Cure, and the prophesy.

"What's up?" Leo asked me.

"Nothing much." I replied monotonously, eyes still closed.

Leo plopped down next to me. When he tried to wrap his arm around my shoulders, I sat back, leaning against the tree so he couldn't. I wasn't in the mood. There was too much to think about.

"Oh, leave her alone, she's in a mood. Let her sulk if she wants to." Trish called to Leo. I nodded appreciatively, agreeing with her. She was right, I was in a mood, and I probably looked like I was sulking. Hilarious.

I let my thoughts wander for a while. Then I smelt smoke. Fire?

"What are you doing?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nothing much…" Leo replied. I dragged my eyes open, and stood up. I wished I hadn't.

Leo had set off a fire, that was now raging. He stood in the middle of it, surrounded. I sighed and held my hand out. The fire stopped, leaving a small bit left on some nearby rocks. Then that too went out. I grabbed my cooking pot from Leo and placed it down. I took out one of the goblets—I had them in my bag, not trusting Leo's backpack—and poured the water into my pot.

I went in search of the ingredients. They were all quite close. I also collected some berries that I assessed to be blueberries, although I didn't eat them enough to be sure.

When I made the soup, I tried one of the berries.

It was a blueberry. I added the best of the bunch to my soup for extra flavour. I left it to steam and rigged some snares for meat. Then, I decided to polish my fighting skills. Leo was happy to help, and we spared with branches. Trish taught me really cool tricks with my daggers and knives. She tried to show Leo too…

I had extra help from my powers. Whenever one of the knives (mainly Leo's) went off course, I would force it to swerve and hit the target. Or throw an extra dagger to throw it off mark.

When my soup was ready, we all sat down and Leo took out the two bowls I had made on Earth. I waved my hand at one and duplicated it. Where did that come from?

I heard a sound from the forest. Madison woke up suddenly and growled. Griffy appeared and squawked.

"Let's move, now!" I whispered urgently. We disappeared into the forest silently. All evidence of our existence was gone from the clearing.

"We have to wage war. Dernom have wronged us, by even daring to allow Spirit Hunters. We shall team with the Hunters and Zian. Then we will crush them!" a throaty male voice bellowed.

"Yes, we must. We will capture them all and torture them, highness!" a cheerful female voice chirped.

"Perfect, we take away their freedom. Soon, Hercomia will be the most powerful country in the world!" The male voice finished. I hissed quietly. Hercomia, sounded like they had a powerful army then, Zian, Spirit Hunters and their own army. Well, with any luck, we can create an even more powerful army of Spirituals. A _freedom_ army. Perfect.

When I was sure they were gone, I sneaked out, eye's flaming. As I stood there in the fierce wind, my hair blowing across my face, enraged.

Leo touched my arm gently.

"We have to do something." He said calmly.

"Like hell we do!" I said my voice shaking with anger. But I felt strangely calm after that. We would _not_ let anybody raze Dernom, not in a million years.

"We'll put together an army of spirituals. A Freedom Army. _The_ Freedom Army." I said, my voice even and blank.

"Good idea! The freedom army, sounds perfect. We can ask this Cornelia if she wants to join." Leo mused. Trish told us we'd have to talk to Lottie first. I agreed straight away, starting up a two way window, so we could talk.

When Lottie appeared, me and Leo explained what we had heard, and my idea. Trish went off to reheat the soup on my hot stone stove.

"You're right about the army. I'll start recruiting with the portals in the palace basement." Lottie said, right before she was pushed out the way and Whitney came into view.

"Get Cornelia to join! She is great at fighting, her sword skills are beyond belief!" Whitney announced. I laughed and nodded.

"I was wondering about that." I grinned. Then I heard something in the woods, "Sorry, I have to go, now. See you later…" The window closes and I take out a dagger, preparing to throw.

A petit girl walked out of the forest. Her straight hair was the colour of corn, her attire consisted of a flowing purple robe decorated with gold thread and gold slippers. Her eyes were the colour of the sky, and her lips were tinted red. Her face was smeared in makeup.

"Cornelia? Countess Cornelia Tookey?" I coked my head. She matched Whitney's description. Perfectly.

"Yes. Who are you?" she had a calm tone.

"Ali, Ali Ember. Whitney sent me. She wanted me to talk to you, and I have an offer, to get you away from your parents for a bit." I explained. Her eyes lit up.

"Come on then! Wait, you aren't busy are you?" she asked seriously. Is she joking, I came here _specifically_ to find her. Oh whatever. I laughed quietly.

"We're free. As long as it's not far, I don't think my metalfang is up for a trek." I said, glancing back at Madison.

Cornelia gasped. We all laughed. Everybody reacted the same.

She led us through the forest to a mansion. Here, the grass was trimmed impossibly close to the ground. Hedges surrounded the area, and made a barrier, separating the forest from the impeccable garden.

The mansion in itself was a work of art, polished marble and soft sandstone. The design was intricate and formed a coat of arms. 0bviously for the Tookey family.

"And the palace is sweet…" Leo muttered. I laughed quietly and took his hand. He glanced at me, and the look in his eyes was so intense and deep, that I had to look away. That look couldn't be meant for me.

Cornelia led us inside, where we were ambushed by…a duplicate.

"Nelia, why were you out so long? Who are these people?" She asked, in a voice so unlike Cornelia's. Was she her sister?

"Quiet down Anita. And why is bad to have them here, sis? I see nothing wrong." She announced. Well she was fine because she knew the full story, or the basics anyway.

"Who are they?" Anita repeated. With a sigh I spoke up, finally using the long dreaded title.

"I am Princess Alice of Dernom. This is Leo and Trish, close friends. We came here on request of Whitney." Not enough, a voice in my head scolded. "We are here to offer Cornelia a place in our school for advanced spirituals, her being the heiress to the Tookey family."

It was a good ploy. Anita appraised me.

 _'Prove it, Alice. Prove it.'_ A voice goaded me. Interesting power. One that I already used.

I disappeared into a flash of light.

My clothes changed. I had no idea what I was changing into until I was done. The golden dress was full length and decorated lushly. So many jewels. Golden heels of at least four inches adorned my feet, leaving my towering over Trish more than usual. I was the same height as Leo in these shoes.

I shuddered lightly, hating the silly thing straight away. I looked confident though. Leo chuckled softly, wrapping his arm around my waist and holding me against him, giving me the balance I so badly needed.

Anita gasped, her hands flying to her throat.

"I'm so sorry, majesty. Please forgive me!" she apologised repeatedly. I sighed.

"Please don't apologise. And it's Ali please." I shuddered lightly again. I felt Leo shaking with laughter later. I moved my foot under the dress to stamp on his foot with the heel. He grunted with pain.

Anita nodded and ran off to find somebody.

She came back down with two beautifully dressed adults. The woman looked unbelievably strict. The man even more so. They were obviously their parents. They both gasped.

"Princess, welcome to our humble home!" they said in unison. I sighed silently.

"I'm Alice, nice to meet you. You must be Mr and Mrs Tookey. I'm here to offer your daughters places in our advanced school for spirituals."I said, including Anita, she seemed more practical than Cornelia.

The Tookeys looked at each other in surprise.

"we'd be delighted. " Mrs Tookey exclaimed. "What will they need?"

"Clothes, shoes and anything else they want." I said. With three on Madison, and two on Griffy, we'll be back at the castle in no time at all.

Both girls nodded and went to run off.

"Oh, dress in something you can ride in, the steeds will meet us in the forest." I added as they raced away.

 _'We will!'_ Anita exclaimed in my head.

"We'll meet them outside the mansion. Straight down the main path." I finished.

Then I turned, pulling away from Leo, and walked outside. Leo joined me just as I reached the steps. Much to his credit, he took my arm and led me down the stairs carefully.

When we were at the end of the path, I changed in another flash, back into my bubble top and leggings. Leather hunting boots. Bow and arrows. Dagger. Much more comfortable than that poufy dress.

Soon, we were joined by Cornelia and Anita. They wore identical outfits—black leggings, turquoise top, black jacket. The only difference was their hair. Cornelia left her hair open, whereas Anita had her hair pinched into a tight bun.

They followed us into the forest.

"So, Cornelia, how do you know Whitney? I thought she lived on Earth." I asked.

"Erg, I hate that name!" She ignored my question.

"Why don't you change it? This isn't just coming to our school, we need your help in our Freedom Army, Hercomia has waged war on us. Kind of. They're going to come here and capture us. So this is more than a new home, it's a new chance, to be more than Cornelia." I smiled. That's what this whole spirituality provided me. A new start. I was that small, timid girl who nobody knew. Even the teachers forgot my name. Being a spiritual, I became confident, powerful. A fresh start.

"Hmm, that sounds like a good idea. A new name…" She smiled, lost in thought. Thinking of a new name, I guess.

Once we were far into the forest, Madison and Griffy met us. Cornelia smiled as Anita jumped. I laughed. No matter how many people did it, it was still funny. Still funny.

Cornelia and Anita took to Madison well. Trish got on in front of them. I jumped on to Griffy, impatient; I hadn't flown on him since the incident with the Spirit Hunters. This would be fun.

Leo climbed on reluctantly, and we took off. Madison followed behind us, like so many times before.


	5. Chapter 4

We stopped in a different clearing, closer to the palace.

When Madison appeared, she flopped down so Trish and the girls could get off. It was dark then, and the stars were clearly visible.

Leo took out my soup. Apparently he had been collecting the leftovers for ages. I laughed and heated some stones to warm it up. He got some bowls and spoons from his ever mysterious backpack.

When we sat down to eat, Cornelia looked significantly at me.

"Amy." She announced proudly.

"What? Oh, your new name, Amy. Nice." I grinned. Trish frowned, Leo smiled and Anita grimaced.

"New name? Why is she getting a new name?" Anita asked, outraged. I looked to Trish.

"Didn't you explain? Trish! I thought I could trust you to do that. Amy, why don't you explain?" I lo0oked to Amy. She beamed at me, and explained, almost word for word, what I told her before and after the ordeal at the Tookey mansion, and why she changed her name. Anita calmed down, and grinned.

"And you got me out too!? Thanks! I hated all the pressure of being a count's daughter. " She smiled. "And I'm changing my name too. Sort of. I want to be Annie, not Anita. Anita sounds too stiff."

I grinned. Then I told them about my fresh start as a spiritual. Soon we were quizzing each other, just like that night at Lottie's. It was fun, again.

In the morning, we were all buzzing.

Then, the Zian _had_ to ruin it.

"They're here!" A gruff voice called. I spun, recognising the voice. The man who gave me the scar on my cheek. I touched it lightly, remembering. Leo took out his mallet, Trish grabbed one of my cooking knives. Amy and Annie pulled swords out of the air. Cool.

I pulled my bow off my back and notched an arrow. I took aim and shot, remembering where the chinks of the armour were. I let the arrow fly and it hit its mark. Well according to the shouts from the forest. They emerged again, in a blurred line of blue and silver. The sunlight glinted off their helmets, their blue capes flowed behind them, their blue robes looked lighter in the bright morning light of Dernom, undiluted by England's constant cloud cover. Their silver and black face plates gleamed. They wore simple black zori sandals.

I notched another arrow.

"Oh, it's the Chosen again. This time you will be ours!" the leader called. He had a new bow and arrows. This one was rigid, at straight angles that annoyed me for no reason.

"Ah, I see you got a new bow, good for you. Well, I do need some new arrows." I laughed. His bow snapped in two and his arrows flew accurately and took their place in my quiver. "Thanks!"

The leader scowled and rushed forwards. My knife flew into my hand and sailed through the air, cutting into a tiny chink in the armour, right on the armpit. The man fell, blood pouring out. My knife pulled out and flew to my waiting hand. I had hit his heart. The other Zian rushed forwards with a enraged yell.

I pulled out a long dagger and rushed into action, swiping everywhere at once. I threw with my free hand. Then I heard an odd screeching sound, the sound of metal cutting through metal. I turned and saw a boy, with stringy blondish hair, generic blue eyes, and a too long nose. He cut his sword through the armour of one of the warriors. I sent my knife there instead, hitting the warrior in the heart. Again. Then from behind, the boy got stabbed. In the thigh. Sorry if I scared you there.

We continued to fight, injuring more often killing. Eventually they all retreated. I kept my guard up, felling for their minds, but they were gone.

"It's Matthew!" Annie called out suddenly. I turned to see the boy from earlier, sprawled on the grass, covered in blood. A katana stuck out from his back. There was no doubt that he was dead.

I gagged quietly at the thought. It's a war, I knew people would die, but I didn't realise how bad it made you feel.

"Yes! I'm finally free from it! I can finally know that I won't have to marry that idiot!" Amy squealed, oblivious to the tense, squeezed air around her.

We moved on without comment though, Griffy running instead of flying.

As we went, Annie explained what had happened, as she was riding with me this time.

"They were betrothed, Amy and Matthew. She hated him, whereas he loved her. She's just glad she won't have to marry him. She will see it soon." Annie explained. I looked over at Amy, she was crying now, sobbing quietly into Trish's back. Leo, in front, focused on gripping Maddy's soft fur.

When we reached the castle, everybody but Amy had perked up. It _was_ a three hour journey.

It was a relief to see Jay's familiar face as he opened the door. Lottie came immediately, accompanied by Whitney. Whitney and Amy hugged. They started chatting. I could tell they were talking about the twins' new names. Lottie led us to a meeting room to talk. We talked about the impending war. I thought back. It sounded like the war would take a while, to round an army. I tried another window, but hid it from the other side, like one way glass.

"It will take three months to gather an army, we must hope it takes longer than that to train spirituals." The male voice said. Now I could see who it belonged to. It was a prince, about our age, with brown hair smoothed back in spikes. He wore red and gold, making him look more regale, but all I saw was a man bent on war and destruction. He had to be stopped.

I closed the window. We had the information we needed. Three months. We have until… September 21st. At least, according to the prophesy, my powers would be ready three months before that. Wait, that was today! My head spun at the thought.

"September 21st. We'll gather an army." I said. I walked out the room, heading for the castle grounds. Nobody followed.

Outside, I practised every power I could think of with Jay. Everything worked amazingly. Impeccably. Unrealistically.

I was ready. Or was I?

My powers were ready, I was sure of that, but was I? I re-practised all powers, tried new ones, improved and improved and improved. Jay left me alone after a while. Soon enough, it was dark.

As I watched the sun fade in to the horizon, I accepted the truth of it. The war had begun. And there was no way to stop it.

Amy joined me as I practised my knife throwing. She taught me how to use a sword. It was all fairly simple, but she taught me the intricate moves. We sparred by the light of the pale moon.

Next morning, my head pounded. I changed quickly, not even looking at the outfit. When I walked down for breakfast, there was a suspicious crowd of spirituals. I spotted Annie and Amy among the mass and made my way towards them.

"Wow. No offence or anything, but you look like hell." Amy said.

"I know," I yawned. I brushed my hair out of my eyes tiredly.

Trish appeared from nowhere.

"You look like hell, Ali!" She commented cheerfully.

"So I've been told." I almost snapped.

We sat down at a table in the dining hall. I inhaled my food in minutes.

"Where did you run off to last night?" asked a voice from nowhere. I shook my head, already knowing Leo would leave me alone unless I answered him. He sat down next to me, pushing Annie out the way.

"'Excuse me' works." She grumbled quietly. I coughed to hide my laugh. Leo ignored her and stared at me.

"Well?" He persisted.

"I figured something out."

"What ?" He continued.

"A lot. Defiantly lots." I breathed, uncomfortable. I didn't want to talk about this. At all. Amy spoke up.

"According to the prophesy, her powers are done. She's ready for battle. Ali, why don't you want to tell him?" she asked one of her trademark stupid questions, according to the look Annie gave her anyway. And it _was_ a stupid question. Annie moved to sit on my other side, in the only free seat on the table. She touched my shoulder.

"Sorry about her. She doesn't know what she's saying." She said. I nodded meekly. I remained passive and calm the whole time, despite Leo's constant questions.

After breakfast, I had nothing to do, until Whitney found me and asked me to help her teach somebody how to carve ice with their powers.

It was a twenty year old guy, black hair smoothed into neat spikes. He was fairly good, but I taught him about tiny details. Tiny details were the most annoying in the end.

He formed a ice sword, but I showed him how to add things like runes or a name for the sword. He wrote _Destroyer Of Fire_ on it, or more accurately _exterminabat ignis._ The Latin version of it I helped everybody that day, using all my powers. At one point, Leo came up to me. "You need a break. You've been working nonstop for five hours. It's 12 o clock." He said, taking my hand and leading me away. I walked next to him, unbelievably tired. Hadn't I just been fine, like two minutes ago. Leo pulled me into his room. He shut the door behind me. I sat down on the chair at the desk, leaning my head back on the rest and closing my eyes. "What's wrong Ali? Really? You can hide from everybody else, but not from me." I opened my eyes to see Leo, kneeling in front of me. I sat forwards and started to explain everything. Everything I felt since that first day that I found out I was a spiritual, how quickly everything changed, leaving me a step behind. Leo eventually wrapped me in a hug, when I came to how powerless I was beginning to feel, even though my powers were ready. I couldn't stand it anymore. The pressure was really getting to me. I dug my face into Leo's shoulder just as a sob racked my body. Tears brimmed over, despite my attempts to stop them. Leo's hand traced over my back soothingly. Eventually I pulled back, wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my thin cardigan. "Do I look like I've been crying?" I asked quietly, wiping my eyes again. Leo smirked and leaned in closer my face, mock examining me. Then he was just close, and all I wanted to do was close the tiny distance between us… "You look…" he said slowly. His breath blew in my face. "Perfect…" He leaned in closer, crushing my lips in a hungry kiss. His hands traced down my body, exploring my curves. Ignoring what I desperately wanted, I pulled back gently. "Leo, no. Please just no." I said quietly. I wasn't ready. For anything. Anything… "Why? Why not?" he growled, setting his lips against mine forcefully. This wasn't like Leo. What was going on? I pulled back, as gently as I could. "What's going on Leo? You're not usually like this. What's up?" I looked up into his eyes, noticing how dark they were at the moment. "You're usually so gentle, so calm. Why are you like this now?" "Nothing, I'm f—" I cut him off quickly. "If you dare say you're fine, I promise you, I will leave right now!" I threatened angrily. I told him, so he should tell me. That's how relationships work. Right? "I'm not fine, and you know it." He laughed gently, sadly. I touched his cheek. "So what's wrong?" I asked as Leo leaned his head into my hand. "So much. I'm worried about this war, mainly. I mean, you can barely fight, and nobody else can at all. Well, except maybe Amy and Annie. They seem to be pretty good with those swords." He explained. I raised my eyebrows. "You're underestimating a lot of people. Especially me. I can fight. Amy's been teaching me with swords. We spared for ages last night." I shook with suppressed laughter. "And I'm getting better with my knives. I'm great with my bow. I'll be fine." I pulled back further so I could see his face clearly. "You need to learn how to use more than a mallet. Even Luke is okay with two weapons, although me can't shoot very well with a bow." Leo growled quietly again. "I hate that idiot! I don't trust him." He ranted. I giggled. "He keeps trying to get me to leave the castle. Or to get you alone with him." My eyebrows drew together. "He hates you too." I giggled to hide my confusion. "You look confused… Oh, I already knew he hated me. And I'll learn how to shoot, if you teach me." He laughed lightly. I laughed again. We went off to find Trish.

Trish was happy to help us. Kind of. She sat further away as I taught Leo how to hold his gun. It was a classic long-distance shot rifle. Once he had his grip right, I started on aim.

The ice sculpture of Luke helped. Every time Leo missed the target, Trish would call out something. "The target's there Leo! Not in the hedges!" I held in all my laughter and calmly helped Leo readjust his grip. Then I waved my hand at the target. It was no longer of Luke. It perfectly fitted Trish's small frame. Bang! The bullet hit the target perfectly, right in the heart. Leo kept shooting, each time taking out another vital organ. Then more target appeared, in all shapes and sizes. Bang! Bang! Bang! The shots hit perfectly. I smiled as Leo hit target after target. "You've got it now Leo. Well done." I said. Leo spun, aiming automatically. Then he dropped the gun with a gasp. "What's wrong? Leo?" I took a step towards him. He backed away from me, palms forwards, like he was apologising. Apologising for what? Aiming at me? I startled him, it was a fair reaction. He backed off, then turned and ran. I stood there like an idiot, utterly confused. Trish wanted a go with the gun, so I made some target, thinking back to Leo. What happened? When Annie came by, she saw I was out of it, and took over for me. I nodded gratefully. I went to find Leo. I checked his room, the dining hall, the ballroom, the balconies, the courtyards, the basement, everywhere. He was nowhere. As I went out of the basement, I ran into Luke. "Have you seen Leo?" I asked, my voice quivering. "Yeah, he left. Said he was going to find 'somewhere safe'." He answered. But he was lying. I clenched my jaw, raising my eyebrows. "Fine, I told him to go. But he told me what happened. You cannot trust him." I growled in frustration. "You are the worst brother _ever_!" I yelled, running off down the hall. I went to the Animal House, just outside the main castle. Madison rushed at me, barking her head off. I glanced around the room, looking for Griffy. But my gryphon, like Leo, was nowhere to be seen. "Leo!" I shouted. He had to take my gryphon! I pulled myself onto Madison in one heave. "Find Leo and Griffy, girl. Quick!" Madison bounded out of the room. I made sure the doors closed behind us and locked. We raced into the forest at top speed. Madison howled, dropping her haunches and speeding up. I leaned into her fur. _'Ali!'_ Griffy called happily. I jolted awake. Madison waited silently in the trees. I slid off her and made my way forwards. There was a little meadow ahead. And there was Leo, asleep in the grass. I chuckled and went to sit next to him. I glanced at the sky, looking for the constellations I saw from Earth. But I saw none. There were millions of new ones. I identified them and thought carefully about names until the stars faded into the brightening sky. "Why did you come after me?" Leo sneered. I flinched; I hated when he talked like that. He sat up next to me, his hair a mess. Without a word a picked a long piece of grass out of his hair. Not meeting his eyes, I took his hand and stood up, pulling him with me. "What can I do to get you to come back to the castle? I'll do anything." I said, finally meeting his glare earnestly. His eyes softened as he heard me say that. "You can still say that…?" He trailed off. "Of course. No matter what you do—and you did nothing—I will always love you. Always." I sighed. Did I have to explain this? Wow. Leo enveloped me in a tight embrace. I hugged him back, then kissed his cheek. "Believe me now?" I chuckled. He buried his face in the space just above my collarbone. I took that as a yes. "We should go, Trish will kill me if Madison isn't in the Animal House by noon." I said, grinning. Leo moved away from me. "You are unbelievable. I'll take Madison, you take Griffy." "No deal. We'll take Madison, Griffy can fly back on his own." I argued. With a sigh, Leo obliged, only he went to sit in front. I jumped in front with one leap. Madison barked, laughing. _'See you at the castle!'_ Griffy called, setting off. As soon as Leo was on, I urged Madison into a run. She galloped in to the forest, taking us back to the castle. 


	6. Chapter 5

"Just what did you do wrong?" I asked as Madison slowed.

"I pointed the gun at you." Leo admitted sheepishly. I laughed. Was that it? Really?

"Oh God, Leo. You seriously ran off because of that? It was only natural, after practising for over two hours! Calm down." I giggled. Leo scowled into my shoulder. When we got back to the castle, Trish was waiting at the gates.

"You stole my metalfang." She muttered, glaring fiercely at me. "He stole my gryphon. I had no other choice." I laughed softly.

"And who says she's _yours_. As far as I'm aware, she's ours." I took Madison back to the Animal House—fondly nicknamed the Zoo—alone. Griffy was already there. He squawked at me and soared around the room with Blaze. He would have to learn how to fight as well… Reality crept up on me yet again, pushing all the air out of my lungs so I gasped desperately for air. I sat down silently, watching the animals trudge around the huge hall, frolicking and prancing about.

I got ready to strike. Jab. Parry. Thrust. Dodge. Again. I practised the routine with Annie. Then she swerved unexpectedly. Thrust. Dodge. Twist. Jab. Parry. Back. Parry. Swipe. Annie's sword flew across the arena.

"You're getting good." She breathed deeply. "Try Amy now." Amy stepped forwards, drawing her sword. I took position. Sweep. Amy jumped to dodge the swinging sword. She jabbed at my head. I ducked and moved in. Swipe. Amy's sword flew across the room, landing on top of Annie's. Amy laughed.

"You're more than good. Annie, it's your go." Annie picked up her sword and took another deep breath. "How about I make it harder for myself; I'll use my dagger instead. I need some practise." I suggested, pulling my six inch dagger out. The twins grinned. We continued to spar. With my dagger though, I had better control, even with less reach. I won five times before Leo came in. I disarmed Amy with ease yet again. Just for fun, I pushed her to the floor.

"You guys need to practise more." I teased. Leo laughed loudly, making me flinch, since I was unaware of him until that moment. I did get a bit caught up with the fights.

"Well, at least I know I don't need to worry about you, Ali." He laughed. I thought back to our conversation yesterday.

"But do I need to worry about you? Prove yourself, young ronin." I mocked. Leo took his mallet out from nowhere.

"You want a bet?"

"Sure. If I win, you have to agree to be friends with Luke. If you win…" I waited for his side of the bet.

"You have to stay away from Luke." Leo grinned. I nodded passively. I was so going to lose. Sorry Luke, I thought. On Annie's mark we began. Leo moved first, going to knock me off my feet. With a mischievous grin, I launched myself over his head. When he turned to me, I held my dagger out, and it sliced straight through the hard wood of Leo's mallet. The huge head dropped to the floor. With a swipe, the remaining shard of wood was on the floor. I lunged forwards, touching my dagger lightly to his throat.

"I win!" I announced. Amy and Annie laughed. Leo scowled at me. I moved back, chuckling quietly.

"Do I have to? Be friends with Luke?" he moaned. I nodded proudly. "Yes, y0u do. Be nice, or I won't fix your mallet." I said. Leo groaned again. With a laugh, I picked up the pieces of the mallet. In my hands, they fused together neatly. Then the wood turned white, morphing. Soon, it was no longer wood, but s sparkling alloy of titanium and diamond. Small gems glittered in the surface of the metal.

"Wow." Amy, Annie and Leo said in unison. I laughed quietly. Then it disappeared from my hands, flying faster than the speed of light, to my room. We ended our training session then.

Me and Leo walked off into the courtyard, holding hands. Griffy flew into the air, squawking his head off. I laughed at him, so did Leo. Griffy continued his dancing performance. Then he landed, rushing to my side. He growled, like he did when we were in danger. But we were in the castle, safe…

"Your gryphon pays good attention, Alice Shadowheart." Luke laughed. My head snapped up suddenly.

"Luke? What the hell are you talking about?" I looked over at Leo. His face was a mask now. "I would feel bad about this if you were my sister, such a good thing you aren't." He said, then he took out his gun, aiming at me. He shot, the kick from the gun sending him backwards. Everything seemed to happen at once. Griffy dived in front of me to stop the bullet. Then the bullet abruptly sailed up. Leo pulled me out the way, his arm wrapping around my waist. The bullet would have hit my shoulder, right in the place I was shot by the Spirit Hunters, twice. But at the last second, the bullet fell to the floor, hitting an invisible wall. More like, an invisible _shield_. I loved my powers.

"Okay then. Let's go now Leo. You win, I'll stay away from him." I said, surprisingly calm. Luke tilted his head confused. Then the gun dropped from his hand, just how Leo's had done the day before. I sighed. The bullet from the floor flew up, swerving round and the blunt end hit Luke in side of his neck. He fell to the floor, unconscious. Trish took my arm and steered me away from Luke's small cell in the castle prison. It had been made when Hope attacked. After the second attack on me, I had to stay in the castle unless I was accompanied by at least three people or an animal. I pulled my arm away from Trish and walked off, heading for my room.

I needed to start a diary, like I used to.

 _Dear diary,_

 _Day five trapped in the castle. I'm bored. Amy and Annie want to practise, but nobody wants to practise with us, so I can't come out. I think I'll have to try harder to fight this stupid sentence. I did nothing, and I didn't even get hurt! My powers saw to that._

 _I'm going to get out somehow._

Or something along those lines. I decided against it. Instead, I took out some paper and a fountain pen. Well, if I couldn't get one of the animals from the Zoo, I'd make my own one. Something useful…

The words flowed easily, but I stopped. This creature was all wrong. No spines, no fangs, no fire or ice breath, I decided. I crossed out the passage with deep, angry lines. I started again. No wacky creatures this time, I wrote about a dog. Well trained, followed commands. I read it aloud quietly. A deep bark filled the room and I jumped . A wolfhound jumped out from under my bed. I laughed at myself for jumping. The wolfhound panted, looking like it was smiling. I loved dogs. I thought of names, running them through my head, before deciding on Jasper.

"Come on Jasper. Let's go play!" Jasper bounced on the spot, liking his name. He followed me out of the castle. Jasper was great at catching Frisbees. I threw them higher each time, but he always managed to catch it, as long as it wasn't white. When I threw a white Frisbee, Jasper wouldn't even try to catch it. Amy found me eventually. When she saw Jasper, she yelled.

"Where did that come from?!" she screamed. Jasper jogged up to us. I patted his head.

"Amy, calm down. It's just a dog." I chuckled. Amy punched my back, hard. Wincing—she punches really hard—I threw another Frisbee. Jasper caught it with ease.

"I hate dogs." Amy muttered.

"Why? Thanks to Jasper, I can come outside. We can practise." I suggested. Amy brightened at that. It had been five days since Luke attacked me, and I hadn't had the chance to practise once, so Amy and Annie had to spar without me. Neither one could ever win, since they were taught together, so they had the same technique. As we walked to the training arena, Jasper ran ahead, pouncing at bushes to urge hidden animals out. Once they were out though, he was too large and clumsy to catch any of them. Suddenly he tensed, his nose pointing to the entrance of the training arena. Trusting my wolfhound, I rushed forwards, multiple shields overlapping automatically.

In the middle of the arena, there was a stranger, dressed in the gray overalls of the Spirit Hunters, the silver and blue helmet and black zori of the Zian, and an unfamiliar golden crest that must have belonged to Hercomia. He held a silver katana out, gingerly, keeping it away from his body. I hissed a curse. A representative of the opposing army. Jasper growled through barred teeth. I took a step forward, dimly aware of Jasper and Amy shadowing me. My shields suddenly dropped.

"What is your business here, stranger?" I called out, my voice strong and fearless. The man turned. He eyed my dagger uneasily. I didn't remember taking it out. I adjusted my grip on it.

"I am a messenger, from Hercomia. I have a message for Princess Alice of Dernom." He replied, eyes still on my dagger.

"State it now, and leave. But please be aware, no violence is permitted outside the fighting arena we are currently standing in." I stayed calm somehow, keeping my voice reasonable and resigned.

"I must say it to her, and her alone." He said, clenching his jaw.

"Then tell me your message. Amy, please wait outside, you know I can handle myself." I gritted my teeth as I waited for her answer. She was silent.

"Amy?" "Oh right. Yes Ali. I'll leave you with Jasper though." She said, patting his head. Acting brave? I shrugged the thought off, focusing on the matter at hand.

"Your message?" I asked, spinning to face the man. Jasper barked loudly. Griffy landed next to me. _'_

 _Please shut that dog up! Whoa, what's going on here Ali?'_ I looked down at my gryphon, trying to convey my message. Griffy squawked and flew off, going to find Leo or Trish, either of whom would help my infinitely with this.

"War ma'am. The lord of Hercomia, Sir Pevency, is waging war on Dernom." The messenger stated. Well I already knew that. With a sigh, I tightened my grip on my dagger to stay calm.

"Why, pray tell, is he waging war?" I flinched as the last word slipped out. I hoped the man didn't notice.

"Dernom is becoming too powerful, with so many spirituals. And now Miss, I'm afraid I must kill you. Orders are orders." The man sighed sadly.

"This is why I have to practise…" I muttered quietly. "Well, you're right, orders are orders. So I must defend myself."

The man rushed me, but my dagger swung up at the last second pushing his katana away from me. But I was slightly too late. The sword raked up my arm, from elbow to shoulder. Jasper growled and launched himself at the man. With the flat of his blade, he knocked my dog aside, returning his attention to me. Letting the blood from the wound on my arm flow freely, I moved in and jabbed at his undefended stomach. I pushed my dagger in, I pulled my dagger out. The man staggered back, one hand to his stomach. Black spots began to dance their way across my vision. My arm seared with pain. You can't black out now, Ali, not now, I told myself sternly. Seeing another opening, I lunged forwards, slicing at his collar. Then I kicked out, knocking him to the ground. Jasper joined me again, lying on the man so he couldn't move. I kicked again, releasing the grip on his katana. It slid away on the tile of the arena.

"What's your name, messenger?" I spat, grimacing.

"Lenny."

"Well, Lenny, I hereby sentence you to a life in prison." I said, my breaths coming short and shallow. My arm ached. I could feel my mind shutting down.

"Ali, can I come back in now?" Amy called anxiously from outside.

"Mmkay." I said, my voice slurring as I struggled to stay conscious. Lenny laughed.

"Looks like I did my job just fine!" He growled. Amy rushed in. She stared at the now blood streaked arena. At Lenny, pinned to the floor. At me and my sliced arm. At the pool of blood forming at my feet.

"Don't be so sure." I said tightly, winning the battle against my heavy body. Or so I thought. Griffy flew down then. He pushed himself under my arm, letting me lean into him for support.

"Good gryphon." I sighed.

Leo ran in then. He glanced around. He glared from me, to Amy, to Lenny, to Griffy, to Jasper. Then he settled on glaring at me. He ran forwards and pulled me into a tight embrace. My arm screamed desperately. But I didn't care. I didn't care. Leo buried his face in my shoulder yet again. Griffy moved away from me, crushed by the hug. Eventually Amy saved me from blacking out from the pain in my arm. She cleared her throat.

"Err, Leo, you might want to let her go. Ali's going to black out in a few seconds if we don't sort out her arm." She reasoned. Leo looked up, face filled with nothing but pain. His eyes searched mine, finally noticing the utter exhaustion and the awkwardness of my hand pressed against my arm to try to stop the flow of blood.

"Good idea." He murmured. "Come on Ali. Let's get you Georgia."

Georgia? Whose Georgia? I thought as Leo, aided by Griffy, towed me towards the castle.

With Lenny safely in the prison, my arm healing thanks to Georgia's ability to stop blood flow to certain veins, especially damaged ones.

We met in the conference room of the castle.

"Well Ali, I guess there's no point continuing with the 'three people or an animal' thing, since you manage to get in trouble anyway." Lottie laughed. I chuckled darkly.

"Not really. We should improve the security of the castle. Patrols, shields, guards. That sort of thing would be better than designing curfews." I thought aloud. Lottie, Whitney, Jay and Leo nodded. Trish spoke up.

"That's a good idea, but then how are spirituals going to come here? Answering our call for help?" Trish pointed out. She had a good point with that.

"It will be one of my shields. Or you can help as a guard, since you can tell when you are being lied to." I suggested. Trish shook her head at my idea. "But we have to do something. How about just an animal patrol. Morning, noon and night. The animals are better at sensing enemies than us. Griffy realised about Luke. Jasper heard that messenger."

Everybody nodded in unison. Me, Lottie, Trish and Amy—she really wanted to help after she didn't come to help me fight—would take the animals round the courtyards for a patrol, with Griffy and Madison in the lead, and Jasper in the back.

The next few days passed without fault. Every day, I would check on the prison, making sure Hope had no way to shock her way out of her cell, that Luke was okay (he was still my brother), and that Lenny was still in his cell, since I had no idea if he was a spiritual or not.

Hercomia sent us no more messages. But I decided it was time to send one back to them.

We gathered in the ballroom. Lottie forced me to don the ever uncomfortable gold dress of royalty. I hated it. Barely balanced on the heels from hell, I started up a two-way window.

As it turned out, Hercomia was a beautiful place, with gardens set up like the Tookey house. The window zoomed on, to a magnificent throne room, where the prince we saw last time sat on the throne. A messenger stood in front of him.

"No word from Sir Lenard. Shall I send somebody else my lord? Sir Lewis Pevency?" The messenger's voice quaked. I cleared my throat loudly.

"Sir Pevency? I believe we have something to talk about." I said clearly, making it clear I would not take 'no' for an answer.

"Edward, leave us!" The prince said. The messenger scurried off. "I trust my messenger arrived, Princess Alice Shadowheart." He smiled gently. Shadowheart? Isn't that what Luke called me? I pushed the thought aside.

"He has. Sir Lenard will be remaining here, in the castle dungeon." I said calmly. No need to remind him why. "And, Sir, I do know that you sent him. Are you willing to halt this war before anything more happens?"

It was a tiny hope, one that was likely to be crushed, but I promised Lottie I would try to solve this without violence.

"That is unnecessary. It is a shame about Lenard though. When did your soldiers apprehend him? At the castle gates?" Why would he care? I decided to tell the truth, even if just to make him aware that I could fight just as well as anybody else.

"Actually, I incapacitated him when he tried to take my life. I do hope you will refrain from sending anyone more to do that." I sighed, annoyed. Sir Pevency grinned even more.

"I will. I'll wait and do the job myself." I was about to answer calmly, telling him 'good luck with that'.

"No, you won't." Leo growled. He took hold of my arm, trying to pull me away from the window. I rolled my eyes.

"Leo, calm it. I can handle this." I sighed again. Leo let my arm go, but he looked like he about to complain again. With a flick of my wrist, he couldn't talk. He opened his mouth, then closed it suddenly, hand flying to his throat. With a satisfied nod, I turned back to the window. "Well, Pevency, it seems we have nothing more to talk about. Since you won't call this war off, we will have to stop it ourselves. Goodbye." With that, the window disappeared from their side, leaving us to watch his reaction.

Sir Pevency yelled something unintelligible.

"Dernom will fall, if it's the last thing I do!" He screamed. Then I turned sound up on the other side, so he would hear me.

"Good luck with that." I piped cheerfully, when really I felt like blasting him into oblivion right there and then. I withheld for another few seconds. Then with a soft pop, the window disappeared completely.

Leo strode up to me, fuming. With a wave of my hand, he could speak again.

"Why did you do that? Why didn't you let me talk?" he raged. I sighed for the umpteenth time.

"Leo, no offence, but it wouldn't have helped the situation. On my own, I did a better job of disgruntling him. With Pevency irked, there's a chance his Lords will see this war as an unnecessary act for vengeance." I explained. I had a plan to end this war, hopefully before it began. Part of my plan was having few numbers. Though we had little over 200 spirituals, I was sure we were ready. 1 spiritual counted for at least three from the opposing army, especially now that they were all being trained. Like this we had the slightest chance of survival.

Parry. Slash. Jab. Swipe. Lunge. I insisted on practising. Dodge. Sweep. Parry. Twist. Swerve. Jab.

Amy landed on the floor again.

"Match 2000 and who knows what, to Ali!" Annie grinned.

"It's match seven. Come on Annie, it _is_ your go now." I said, taking a new stance. We began again.

We walked out of the training room, battered, busied and cut, but grinning. I had beat my top times beating Annie and Amy. We all beat our times on race track. And we were all getting better at hand-to-hand combat. As we left, a crowd of spirituals formed at the entrance, asking for lessons. I agreed to a few familiar faces quickly. Then sprinted away. A howl filled the air.

I sprinted onwards, scanning for Jasper or Madison. At the edge of the field, I spotted Madison, growling at an unseen figure. I rushed forwards.

Hope and Luke grinned. Lenard sneered.

"Aw, it's the little princess. How cute."He laughed.

" _Aw, it's the little idiot. How cute._ " I mocked, in a perfect replication of his voice.

"Erg. Shut her up, boy." He scowled. Luke stepped forwards, his grin widening.

"Luke, you wouldn't hurt your own sister, would you? Or have you changed since last time?" I asked sarcastically. Admittedly, I really hadn't been nice to him recently; but I had good reason.

"Ha! You aren't my sister, Shadowheart!" there it was again. Shadowheart. And what did he mean 'not his sister'?

"Yeah, seemed that way on birthday, didn't it? Did you feel that hate?" I continued, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Luke growled to himself, his grin faltering. Hmm…

"Or at Lottie's, I could have sworn you hated me there? When you _protected_ me?" I sneered, "I wonder, did you even care about me those times I came back?"

Luke's mask shattered and broke. He was no longer grinning. He hid his face in his hands, sobbing.

"Proof." I said, more gently than before. "I am your sister, no matter what you say." I held my chin high as Luke looked up, almost fearfully. He seemed to calm when he read the sincerity in my eyes.

"His sister!" Hope laughed scornfully. It wasn't a nice look. " Right! And I'm Cameron Diaz!"

Luke growled, turning so his back was to me, and slowly backing away from Hope. She lifted her fingers threateningly.

"Come on Luke, you don't want to be blasted…" she taunted him. I lifted my own hand, and made a crushing gesture with it, my hand balling into a fist. As I did that, my powers crushed Hopes voice box. She tried to speak again, and broke off, her face contorting in rage. Luke stuffed a laugh down his throat.

"What's wrong Hope? Cat got your tongue?" I smiled, my eyes glinting innocently.

"Shadowheart, you may be able to shut the Lightning Fingers up, but watch as she destroys your beloved brother!" Lenard shouted. I rolled my eyes; Luke was shielded already. I might have acted it sometimes, but I wasn't dumb.

"Good luck with that." I said calmly. "Luke, let's go."

"And let them leave!?"

"I never said that."

Another wave of my hand, and the two revolutionaries were caught in a little bubble cage. It floated behind us as we walked towards the castle.

"What was all that talk about 'Shadowheart'?" I asked Luke.

"Well you aren't technically my sister, you are really from this family called the Shadowhearts. Mum and Dad adopted you." He grinned suddenly. "So I guess we can be friends, since you aren't my annoying little sister anymore!"

"Well, I don't take back any thing I said or did." I said slyly.

We laughed as we walked back to the castle.

"So, Alice Shadowheart?" Leo chuckled as I scowled at my full name. Erg, Alice. I much preferred the revised name, Ali. It sounded nicer, freer. We were in the conference room again. I sighed.

" _Ali_ Shadowheart!" I corrected him for the umpteenth time. "And will you shut up about that. The grown-ups are trying to talk." I said sternly, like I was talking to a young child. Leo pouted as suppressed laughter filled the room.

"So Luke is good now? No more imprisonment?" Lottie asked. It was only her, Leo, Trish, the twins and me. We were discussing my recent attempt to get myself killed, as Leo put it.

"Yeah, I think so." I said. "But, just in case, he should have a job or something. To keep him busy. When I saw him, he wasn't himself, like somebody was controlling him. When he came under my shield, he was fine." I explained quietly.

"I get what you mean. Kind of like what Lucy's sister Henrietta could do. She controlled people's free will." Trish shuddered.

"Yeah. Exactly. And no two people have the same powers. We're dealing with the Spirit Hunters."


	7. Chapter 6

The months before the war passed like days.

We trained and trained. I started to find my long hair became a problem in battles. I cut it short, to get rid of the problem.

Soon, there was only a day left. I sat in the gardens, reviewing the plans Lottie had shown us.

Main attacks, counter attacks, enemy moves, none of it stuck in my head. So I sat in the courtyard, bored stiff.

I reviewed the weapons and armour we needed, the powers we had, the machines Lottie had built. That at least, I could keep track of. I focused on making the armour out of the chunks of metal in front of me.

The armour was meant for one of the more powerful newcomers I'd seen, Elizabeth. She had the strangest power. She could talk to, and persuade cats to do her bidding. I watched her do it to a lioness. With her, we had a stronger chance of winning, but that happened with every new spiritual.

I was happy enough for a while, focusing on the weapons and armour, until all the metal in front of me (and that I could scour from the rock bed) was moulded and ready. Then I spotted Lottie, coming towards me, holding a satin dress of the deepest purple. I groaned. Party night.

At the end of each week, Lottie set up a party, to keep spirits high. But it made my spirits droop, and I tried to avoid them completely. Lottie or Leo always found me though. Trish even started to cooperate.

There was no escape this time, so I just waited for her to catch up with me, or nearly. I was _not_ having another one of her 'Princess Protocol' lessons. Every party, I had to act like a princess, and it was killing me. I was no princess, and I never would be. I thought I had already told Lottie this.

"No. No, no, no! I'll wear _my_ dress, I'll act how _I_ like." I said, tenacious as always.

And so, that night, I dressed up in my short marsala skirt. It was the colour of the season, after all. My top was a creamy white that went perfectly. Plus my cream stilettos and silver bracelet, I felt okay about the party, for the first time since I first got here.

I walked down, perfume in hand. It was the same sea-scent I had used at the first party. It was familiar and gentle, so it calmed me. I walked into the party.

The mood was bland. There were not many people this time. Music pulsed in the background, but everyone ignored it; people gathered in clusters, whispering; nobody danced. It wasn't the party I expected. So I spruced it up.

I stood on the podium at the front of the hall.

"People of Dernom, is this a party? To me, this looks like a few odd spirituals, moping. Stop it! I know this is the last day before the fight, but we must celebrate the day we have left! As my great-great grandmother said, 'Thou must struggle if thou shalt find the truth'." I called, loudly. Strange.

A roar of agreement greeted me, coming up from everyone in the crowd. I smiled. From then on, the party was raging. Everybody danced, people shouted over the music, music pulsed, anything but ignorable.

So we danced. And it made up for the day after day after day of sitting around, doing nothing but waiting for what seemed to be impending doom.

I leaped out of bed. It was the day. The day of the battle.

I pulled on my soft armour, that I made specially. To most, it looked like a plain top, but in fact it was made of tiny chain links, dyed white. Then I put on my black leggings. So many times, Lottie had tried to fit me into more armour, or a disguised armour in a dress. I wasn't taking it. With a near indestructible top, and a metal bodice underneath that, I think I'd be fine.

I ran down to breakfast, my soft boots causing me to skid on the corners. Through the open doors of the dining room, I plopped down with a bowl of cereal and shovelled it down my throat. It seconds it was gone. The bowl refilled itself, thanks to my new modifications.

When I was stuffed, I stood up and headed back to my room. I pulled my scabbard (sword packed inside) onto my belt, slung my quiver and bow over my shoulder, and strapped my little dagger to my thigh, for easy access. Finally, I added my little purse to my belt hook. I was ready.

But there was still an hour before the battle, according to the last message we received from Hercomia, when I spied on their war meetings with my windows.

I stood in the practise room I installed in the basements, running a random program. The rays, guns, and other obstacles presented no real threats to me. At first.

Then a sonic blast hit the room. I was blown backwards. My head knocked back against the metal and stone wall, making multi-coloured spots dance across my vision. I blur of whirring knives came at me. I was too dizzy to do anything…

BOOM! The knives scattered, hit by an invisible shield of power, that I could _feel_ radiating around me. It buzzed gently, comfortingly. I smiled as I stood up, healing myself automatically.

I passed the training program with flying colours. I sat down in the centre of the room, cleaning the oil from my sword. Then, experimentally, I pulled out my old gun, which used to be filled with tiny, bullet sized pain pellets. It was now full of real bullets, made of a unknown metal I found, that I named fironite. It was nearly indestructible, and was a flaming orange.

I spun, shooting at the target, only aiming in the slither of a second. The bullets each met the middle of a target, hitting all four at once. I smiled and packed the gun back into my bag, leaving it slightly open, again, for easy access. I headed out of the training room, planning to find Leo, and discuss my last attempt at peace with the Hercomians.

I stumbled down the left passage. I realised a bit too late that it was the wrong one. I was about to phase through the walls up to the castle, when I noticed a dim light ahead, the light of a candle. I walked on, curious.

The passage ended in a chamber, off to one side. In a glass case, there was a beautiful scroll. I gently pried the door open. The light grew stronger.

The paper of the scroll was dark and brow, and I could hardly make out the messy black scrawl. It seemed to be a sort of treaty.

I read it aloud.

" _'From this day forth, the realms of Dernom and Hercomia shalt coexist in harmony, despite their differences and the past wars. To ensure peace, both countries must provide one per annual of their richest resource. This shalt continue for two decades._

 _If this is broken, or the peace disrupted, war shalt not be the result, instead the rulers and main courtiers of the country shalt be banished to the Earthen world for three generations, on which they may return.'"_

It was signed by the rulers of Hercomia and Dernom, Henry Pevency (erg) and…Ebony Shadowheart. My ancestor.

"Wow, so this isn't the first war between Dernom and Hercomia." I said finally.

Technically, in accordance to this treaty, Sir Pevency couldn't attack, since it had been way more than three generations since my family left. According to Luke, the Shadowhearts and Embers have been friends since they met on Earth, in 1667, after the Great Fire of London, when they both moved to the countryside.

I smiled. I could stop this war before it began. Perfect.

When I saw Lottie, I was still smiling, the treaty carefully tucked into my bag.

"There you are! We need—wait why are you smiling!? We are going to war!" she took a step back, clearly annoyed.

"BECAUSE, I might have just found a way to get out of this war!" I said, grinning.

Mercy Field was empty. Well, I said empty, but what I meant was, it was only us. Only us, small band of 200 spirituals. All if which I could recognise, if not name. I stood ready, one hand on the hilt of my sword, the other holding the peace treaty. The others milled around aimlessly, sharpening weapons, stocking ammo, practising. In my head I kept running through a peace speech.

"Ali, calm down." Leo said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I flinched; I hadn't noticed him coming. I kept my eyes trained on the edge of the field.

I felt a sudden disturbance in the air, in my shield.

"Somebody's coming." I said. Behind me, I heard shouts and yells, preparing for the oncoming battle. I focused on identifying the stranger. Only it wasn't a stranger…

"Stand down! For goodness sake, its Harvey!" I bellowed above them as the archers notched arrows and everyone formed a shield wall. Lottie and Luke broke through the crowd and joined me.

"Why is Harvey here, he didn't want to come to Dernom!?" Lottie frowned.

"He is in disguise. He will look like a little girl when he comes. Like Stephanie. He's with the Spirit Hunters, but he doesn't want to be." I explained. I took out my bow, notching an arrow.

"I thought we should stand down…" Luke muttered.

"You should!" I snapped. Leo pushed Luke away, taking his place at my side with his mallet. Trish did the same to Lottie, wielding her new duel swords. We were ready, once more our little trio. I suppressed a laugh as Harvey neared.

He (or should I say 'she') burst through the lining of the trees. His electric blue dress was ripped in several places, his heels _way_ too high for him. He stumbled forth, in the shape of a little girl with a blonde bob. Then he passed through my shield, which disabled any powers working on him. He changed back into a 17 year old boy. His clothes didn't change though.

Behind me, there was a roar of laughter. I kept my stance though, unable to even smile, remembering his exceptional powers. Without moving, I changed his clothes to something more adequate for a teenage boy. His sweatshirt was baggy, and so were his jeans. His trainers were black and blue. It was a much better look for him.

"What are you doing here, Harvey?" I called across the clearing.

"They're coming, the Spirit Hunters! They are gonna kill! I managed to escape." He panted, stumbling forwards. I looked over at Trish for her acceptance. She nodded.

"Come over here, Harvey." I turned back to the crowd behind me. "Ron—oh, where are you!? That's better—Ron, can you take him to the castle? We need a few extra guards there anyway. Protect it no matter what." I paused, thinking. Well, the animals would be a help. "Oh and send the animals here!"

Ron and Harvey ran off. Then a pair of horses joined them, called by Ron. They rode off together. I smiled. Having Jasper, Griffy and Madison would be a great assist. We waited under the dawning sun, knowing our doom could be on its way.

Pevency came through the sheet of the forests first. The shield wall behind me locked together, archers notched their arrows once again. Amy and Annie readied their swords, coming to stand on either side of me, next to Leo and Trish. The rest of the army followed after Pevency. I growled to myself, and unfurled the peace treaty I had found.

"Before you charge, army of Hercomia, there is something I want you to hear." I shouted, sheathing my sword. I stepped forwards. I held the peace treaty up. "This morning, while in the castle basement, I found this peace treaty, dated over three hundred years ago. It details a war many years ago, and a peace made. If we war now, we will be breaking the peace our ancestors fought for!" I sounded reasonable. In the air, a perfect projection of the treaty appeared. I could copy machines!? I thought as a cry of agreement rose from the shield wall behind me. A man from the opposing army stepped up, in front of them. He turned, his back facing us.

"The girl is right, let us stop this before it begins, for both sides shall deal with great loss if we continue." The man called. I smiled, appreciating his effort. I signalled for my friends to stand down. They all did.

Then Pevency raised his bow. He shot at the man in front of him. I heard a collective gasp from behind me. The man fell backwards, his face to the sky. The arrow had pierced his heart. My friends drew their weapons.

"Was that necessary?" I sighed. "That man had a good outlook on this war." I took out my sword again. "You leave us no choice, we will fight for our FREEDOM!"

Both armies roared. Hercomians rushed forwards. Spirituals ran to meet them. I heard the clash of metal against metal in the fierce sword fights. Bangs from guns rose above the chaos.

I was moving, but it was all a blur, I swung and parried and swiped and jabbed, like in training. I was careful to only incapacitate. Eventually my sword was knocked out of my hand. I pulled out my bow and an arrow. I swiped with the arrow and dodged, looking for a clear shot.

Clang! A sword hit my stomach, forcing me to the ground. It stung, but otherwise didn't affect me. In that brief second, I scanned my surroundings. Sir Pevency was forcing his way through the battle towards me. Trish was locked in battle to my right, Lottie to my left. I could hear Leo somewhere in the distance. I looked over myself. The cut on my arm was reopened. My stomach ached dully. I was fine. I stood up, pulling my dagger out of its sheath on my thigh. The tip of the scabbard dug into my leg. I sliced it away; I needed full movement for this.

I raised my dagger and caught Pevency's descending sword. I grunted with the effort of pushing it back and closed my eyes, focusing. Then the pressure was gone. I opened my eyes. Jasper's jaws shredded Pevency's armour. Oh, I never realised he had magic. Cool. I stood up and Griffy reached me. I smiled at him and told him to go help Leo.

I rushed to help Jasper. I held my dagger out as Jasper moved away.

"I won't kill you, but this shall end!" I fumed. Then, from across the field, I heard Leo desperately shout for help. I couldn't leave him. But I had Pevency right here…

Annie joined me quickly.

"I'll keep an eye on this one." She said cheerfully. I nodded, anxious as was humanly possible. I rushed off to find Leo.

Leo was battling Luke. It was exactly like my dream, form so long ago. Leo fought with his little mallet. Luke with a huge double sword. I gasped as I realised. Of course. The dream was a vision. Like Lottie's. I rushed forwards. But I never reached them.

Pevency appeared. He grinned and held out his arms, blocking my way.

"NOW!" he shouted. A chasm appeared at my feet, pulling me down. I grew my wings, ready to fly. Then my wings disappeared, shimmering.

"Good luck getting out of that, with no powers. That little Golden Cure is very useful." Pevency cackled, standing above me. How did he get hold of the Cure. I pushed that thought away and focused on holding the slippery rock.

It was fine. I was fine. I just had to hold on. Just had to wait.

Pevency walked off, what was left of his army following him. They walked over the chasm like it wasn't there. My friends came to the edge of the chasm. Lottie stood in the front.

Everybody was focused on the fight above me. My fingers ached horribly. I started to slip. One of my hands moved and I lost my grip on the rock. I gave a little cry as my weight was transferred to my one hand. And that was slipping…

I caught hold of the rock again, my palms sweating furiously. I closed my eyes, focusing only on my grip of the sharp rock above me.


	8. Chapter 7

Then I felt somebody gripping my arms.

"Ali, open your eyes! Open your eyes…" Leo called desperately. Tentatively, I opened my eyes. Leo pulled me onto the grass and into a tight hug. I sighed, relieved. I glanced over Leo's shoulder, already knowing what I'd see. And sure enough, there was Luke, sprawled on the grass, unconscious. Talk about a dream come true.

Shaking, I pulled away from him and stood up. The chasm was about ten feet wide. I wave my hand, relieved to have my powers back. A bridge of stone, strong and secure, formed. Pulling Luke behind me with magic, I walked across the bridge, scanning what was left of my friends. I looked suddenly to the spot where Annie had taken over for me, when I had Pevency pinned. I ran forwards, desperate to get a closer look at the battle scene.

And I stopped a foot away.

There, lying in the grass, was Annie, blood pouring from her stomach. Her breath came in disjointed gurgles. I took a last step, and sunk into a crouch. I had to heal this. I had to. But could I?

I pressed my hand gently to the wound and focused on making it disappear. _It won't work,_ said a small voice in the back of my mind. Then Annie opened her eyes wider. For a second, she was wrapped in a bright light. Then, abruptly, she sat up, waving me away. With a surprised grunt, I stood up and stepped back. It actually worked. Wow.

Amy rushed forwards. I left the two alone. Jasper, Griffy and Madison rushed over to me together, barking and squawking. I smiled weakly, despite the battle surrounding me. I spoke up hesitantly.

"We should go. We need to tend to our wounded and count our numbers!" I called. Unwillingly, we all began moving, gathering the wounded, and the few deceased and walking back to the castle.

Trish rode on Madison. I walked, Jasper and Griffy keeping me upright, ahead of everybody, unable to watch my friends stumbling, some sobbing as they carried bodies. I kept moving, too tired to even look back. When we reached the castle, I walked straight through. Jasper ran off, to play, as we walked. He joined us with a hare in his jaws. I patted his head numbly.

The next few days were tough. I tended to the wounded and helped prepare the bodies of the deceased for burial. It was tiring, but I didn't want to sleep, in fear of the terrible images that plastered my eyelids every night.

Only three had died in the attack, all of them faces I recognised and could name. Emma, Alexei and Rodger. They all had no defensive powers. Emma could make plants grow around her, Alexei could metamorphose into a horse, and Rodger could make what he drew come to life, like my childhood fantasy. The funeral was a dreary occasion, where nobody spoke. We conveyed our sorrow wordless prayer.

I wandered around the castle, exploring after that, not quite escaping the horrors sleep brought.

After two weeks, everybody started to perk up.

Luke was still in jail, for plotting against Dernom. He had somehow managed to get a message out to Hercomia about his betrayal. I found the reply and burned it. He wasn't my brother. He never truly was.

I woke up early, knowing what was coming, today was the war meeting, where we were going to spy on Hercomia for more information, if we had to, we would communicate as well.

When I reached the conference room, everybody else was there, sipping tea and coffee. I plopped myself down between Leo and Lottie.

Things between Leo and I had been quite good then, same with most of my friends. Amy and Annie opposite me were 'eternally' grateful about my healing. Lottie loved me for simply turning up. Instead of sparking up a conversation with them, I took out my pen, and drew on a piece of paper. They were meant to be for war notes, but we never used them. Not looking at my drawings, I watched as Lottie stood to open the meeting.

"We have come here to gather information on the Hercomian army. In the last battle some were severely wounded." Lottie began. She continued on, but I barely listened until it was time for my part.

I opened the window in silence, being sure we could see and hear them, but they had no idea.

"Come now Edward! Our troops are healing, they cannot go faster. They are only human." Said a pudgy man with a thick accent. they were seated in the corner of a wide meeting table, much like our own.

"But _they_ are not. By now they are healed and planning an attack!" Edward Pevency growled. I opened the speakers on the other side, as well as the window.

"I'm afraid, Edward, that you are wrong. All we want is peace. Peace you can give us. Bless our kingdoms with the peace they yearn for." I yawned tiredly. The man, who was obviously Edward's adviser nodded sagely.

"Listen to the girl. A peace treaty. We can make it work." The man said.

"ZIP IT, RICHARD!" Edward yelled. I grinned.

"OH calm down. It is a good idea. You have a week to decide and then we shall chat again. Same time, same place. Ta!" the window sealed on the other side, leaving us watching them.

"I will NOT give in to that _witch_." He screamed. I carefully opened the speakers again.

"I'm not a witch. I don't need much magic to outsmart you." I giggled. Then shut the window completely, leaving Edward Pevency to rage.

Everybody stared at me. Then Leo looked down at the paper suddenly, as if he only then noticed it.

"What's that you're drawing?" He said, pulling the paper away from me. It was a rune of some kind. It glowed blood red, sending shafts of light around the room. It looked like an open wound, but delicate, in some unfathomable way. As I watched I recognised it. The mark of Cain, as in the Bible.

" _'Thereforth whosoever slayeth Cain, vengance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.'_ " I muttered, remembering the passage. So _that's_ what I was drawing.

The other stared at me.

"How did you draw this? It's said that only the angels themselves know this mark." Lottie whispered. I stared at the rune. But no, it wasn't a blessing, it turned to a curse. I ignored Lottie's question completely, since I had no honest answer.

"I'm going, and taking this…this _thing_ away." I said, standing up, scrunching the paper.

I walked off, decided. Nobody was ever going to see this rune again. Ever.

In my room, I drew again, disfiguring the mark, only to find myself with another. It looked like…words.

 _Chosen have the power…more than copy…_

The rest was still unreadable. I kept going, not looking at the paper. When my hand lifted, I looked down.

 _Chosen have the power to do more than copy. They each have an individual power, unheard of by mankind. Out of all, the last spiritual, burdened on the Shadowhearts, shall stand over them, able to create her own powers._

I stared at the words. Okay. This was weird. Did this mean _me_? I stood up, shaking my head. None of this made sense at all. Not one bit. I had to clear me head, I decided quickly.

I walked down to the training arena, and started to improve my archery, even though I was fine at it already. I concentrated on hitting the exact middle of each target, without powers. It kept my mind busy for a while. Then my mind got too used to the aiming, and started to wander again. I swapped to a gun, still aiming. It was a lot different, so it cleared my head. Then I used my sling. Then tried a crossbow. Throwing knives. Flinging axes. Duel swords on the dummies. I didn't notice it was dark until Jay came over.

"You missed dinner. Leo is worried." He mumbled, as I flung the heavy discus off into the distance. I span to face him.

In the warm summer evening light, I could just make out his moonlit figure.

"Okay, I'll go find him." I said, dipping a curt nod at Jay. I wasn't going to find Leo. I was going to run a train exercise in the basement. Again.

I ran a harder program, daring myself to fail. I stocked my new sling and headed to the centre of the room, waiting. The training started.

I was on a mountain side, with no map. The sun set off in the distance, shining between the tall trees. The snow glittered as I looked around, setting off down the mountain. Simple mission: survive. Catch: no supplies. Perfect way to keep my mind busy. I hiked flat land for an hour, covering a few miles. Then I stopped. I needed to rest, and wait till morning to continue. This exercise would take a few days. At least. But it was realer than the others. I set a mental note to Lottie.

 _In the training room. Basement. I'll be a few days. Survival course._ I projected it away, to Lottie. She thought her reply while I was still in her head. I was sure she could feel me in there.

 _Okay. Be careful. If you are more than five days than I'm sure Leo will come down there and drag you out. I won't stop him._ She thought, probably shaking with laughter. I sighed inwardly and thought back to the guide books I had read when I was set to go backpacking over the summer. I had erased that plan when I had erased all trace of my existence. Obviously. But it was still good to have the knowledge, that I had unconsciously used to keep myself alive on Earth.

I thought through what I needed for fire; I was already shaking from the cold. I should have thought about my clothing, I thought to myself quietly. Then I remembered. Dig around trees find dry wood for fires. I knelt in the snow, digging. After a few minutes of frustration , I finally struck dry wood. I placed it in a carefully built pyramid. Next tip: pine sap burns like gasoline. I scanned the forests around me, easily picking out the pine trees.

Five minutes and ten scraped fingers later, I had my little pyre covered in pine sap. Now I just had to light it. But that was easy. A flame sprung from my fingers, lighting my campfire perfectly. I scooted as close to it as I could and warmed myself calmly. Then, using branches and a lot of powers, I built myself a small shelter with a cobblestone floor of sorts. Knowing it was too dark to do anything else now, I settled down on the hard stone floor, letting my sleepless nights crash down on me.


	9. Chapter 8

I woke in the morning, unusually aware. Of course. I had slept off those horrid dreams. I was stiff and could immediately tell I had been asleep more than 24hours. Damn that. I sat up.

And there was Leo. I had been sleeping, curled up against him. I raised my eyebrows silently, but he had no idea.

Standing up, I walked off and gathered more tinder and pine sap. I set some snares up and rebuilt my fire pyramid. I finally sat down. I had to wait for Leo now. I glanced up at the sky when I felt a drop of icy wet hit me on my bare arm. Perfect, snow. Judging by the clouds, it would last a while. Though I was annoyed, I sat as close to Leo as I could for warmth. I rubbed my hands together, letting fire wrap around them like swimming tendrils of life. This would be a while.

That night, after an hour or so of foraging, I found myself some edible berries and some meat from my snares.

I cooked it over the fire for a while. Leo woke up a little while before it was ready. He sat up and rubbed his eyes innocently. It was then that I realised just how annoyed I was with him.

"Is there any particular reason you followed me in here?" I asked, my voice quivering slightly. Wow, I was _really_ angry.

"Lottie said you were going to be about a week. I was worried." He murmured, his voice thick with sleep. I glared at him as I finished off the food. I turned away, shovelling even amounts on to two make shift plates of ice. The ice here was useful.

For the night, I settled down a fair way away from Leo, still enraged. I slept fitfully, weaving in and out of each new nightmare.

I woke up, drenched in cold sweat, shivering like a pro. Damn it. The fire had burnt to a cinder. I stood up, making use of my powers. They lit up the area like a torch. Better. Night vision.

I gathered more wood and pine sap. Then I reformed my little pyramid. Tomorrow, I decided, we better get hiking. We were already risking hypothermia and pneumonia. Hopefully, I wouldn't be using much powers for a while. Powers were amazing, but after the thing at the Mercy Field, I wanted to know I could cope without my powers. I had done for 15 years, so I would be fine. Right?

Next morning, we set off with barely a word. We followed to faint trail of hare tracks that would hopefully lead to a water source. Leo had tried to protest—"We have snow! Melt it and we have water already!"—but ignored his surprisingly dumb ideas.

We reached an end to the forests. A small trappers' hut. I walked inside slowly, half expecting to find some sort of animal I didn't think I'd ever encounter in the wilderness (a wolf, wolverine, bear) but nothing came. We would spend the night there, I decided, looking up at the darkening sky. Again I found some timber by digging around the bottom of trees, dug pine sap from trees with my raw fingers and lit the fire. But this time I took a small branch and placed it on the wood. I rolled it back and forth, using the friction to create the heat. I remembered Luke teaching me these things after he came back from his sea scouts trips. All the tricks, especially the ones that got me to the top of my paintball teams, the tactics and gun manoeuvres were extremely useful in this war.

Suddenly the simulation stopped and Lottie rushed over to where I had a little fire blazing. I thought I had told her to leave me! Erg. I glared at her as she neared. Leo, noticing my annoyance, smiled, stroking his hand over my arm, like he had been doing most of the day, supposedly for warmth.

"What is it Lottie? You wouldn't just disturb me like this." I called, moving away from Leo.

"You're right, I wouldn't. We have a messenger!"

I jumped up, and ran for the door shivering. I'd been relying on my instinct alone for the whole time since I found out about my powers. It did come in handy sometimes. Like now. Then I stopped, looking down at my clothes. Ripped shorts, bare feet and a nearly torn apart top. I grimaced momentarily. Than a flash surrounded me as I changed into new clothes. The new full length leggings, strap top and brand new Jordan's fit perfectly and comfortably. I smiled as I walked though the training room door, then sped to a jog to get to the courtyard.

It was Richard, the advisor we had seen only days ago. How far was Hercomia from Dernom?!

"Hello Miss Shadowheart! Very inspirational speech from you at the Mercy Field." He said loudly. I was immediately suspicious of him. I raised an eyebrow.

"I think your King's response was quite…uncalled for. I frankly thought the man had a good point." I half growled though my teeth.

"Oh yes, that was rash. But what happened has happened!" he said cheerfully, brushing off Pevency's murder as nothing. I steamed with rage.

"Nothing hey? I guess if he murdered you in cold blood, it would be 'in the past' so to say." Annoyed with him, I growled aloud. "And what about the three who were killed in that battle? It may not seem like much, but the deaths of those _children_ are in your hands. One of my close friends almost died, thankfully I was able to save her. She was already part of our council. If she had died it would be a fully fledged war. I will warn you now."

My voice shook with anger.

"What is your message, Sir. I don't have time for this." I said lowly. I was on the verge of exploding at this idiot. But _that_ would defiantly be rash.

"The battle, of course. Edward would like to meet in person. At Mercy Field, tomorrow. He has already set off, so you simply can't say no!" Richard exclaimed. I nodded grimly.

"I'll be there. Just leave now." I said, trying to remain calm. I did rather well, if I do say so myself.

Ella and Georgia appeared out of nowhere (Ella was a teleport) to escort him out. Richard was hurried out. As he went, I heard Leo swear under his breath. I agreed with him, but made no move to make that clear. I stalked off, enraged about everything. This was all my fault! If it weren't for me, and this stupid prophesy—I just had to keep searching for the Golden Cure!—we wouldn't be in this mess.

I sat in my room, useless. I would have to leave soon. Not to get to Mercy Field in time, but to dodge my team. The team I was being sent with. I would take Griffy, and go too high for Madison to track. After four hours, my trail would be too faint to follow, if I was on Griffy. I was going to Mercy Field, and everybody knew that though. I could make a false trail to somewhere else…

I smiled and stood up, quickly lacing my Jordan's and grabbing the bag I had packed for the next day. I walked through the castle, silent. This would work. Nobody expected me to be off now. It was too late, as midnight was rolling on swiftly. When I got to the Zoo, Trish was already there.

"I'm coming with you. If you say no, I'll tell Lottie right now!" she threatened. I laughed. How did she even know what I was doing? It must have been written plainly on my face. I told her to get a move on before we got noticed. It was all part of my master plan! I did need backup! I knew somebody would be here. Either Trish, Amy or Annie. It was the perfect plan. Trish eyed me apprehensively, unsure if I was joking or not.

" I need backup, don't I? And you're the only other person who can ride Madison properly!" I said. It true as well.

We burst out of the Zoo, setting the other animals free as a distraction. We soared into the sky, and where there in less than 20 minutes.

As we landed, I heard the distant shouts of men setting up a camp. As I thought. Pevency wasn't alone.

"Are you sure the lass ain't here yet? I saw a gryphon over'ead a few seconds ago!" Somebody shouted. Griffy ducked into the cover of the trees and we watched the men emerge. They were tall and heavily built, like knights. Except they wore no armour and seemed uncomfortable in their own skins. Under the cloud diluted moon, we could see no more than that. Eventually they went back though the cover of the trees on the other sides, still muttering.

I sighed and got off Griffy, not pausing for Trish at all. I unpacked my bag with unnecessary magic. The tents shot up and the food store opened, basking us in the warm scent of tomato soup. Perfect camp out food. Trish stifled a laugh as I lit a quickly fire with powers, creating a pile of firewood. I let the cans of soup hover over the fire, heating up.

We sat down and ate, sipping the soup out of cups Trish had packed. The little camp felt absurdly empty. Without a word, I took off my little bracelet and twisted it in my hands.

"You're worried. Why? We can handle anything they throw at us! You know that." Trish said, peering at my shaded face.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just thinking about what Pevency is here for." I said, untruthfully, hoping she wouldn't notice.

"No you're not. You're thinking about something else, but your mind is too crowded to see anything clearly. For you. Not just me!" She piped. I glared at her for a second, but made no sound. She was right, as usual. It was going to be a _long_ night.

Next morning, I awoke to the sound of trumpets. Time for the meeting, I gathered. I stood hastily and with a whoosh, prepared myself for the upcoming meeting. No, the meeting I was in now.

It started as most meetings do, with a table. And chairs. And paper. And pens. And—oh you get the idea! The meeting started strangely. That is to say, it started normally, but nothing was ever normal in this world, as far I had seen.

"Miss Shadowheart, lovely to see you in calmer circumstances." Pevency said. I glared at him for a second. Was this some sort of sick joke?

"I wish I could say the same. What is the point of this Edward? I hope this is important."

"Oh it is."

So Edward told Trish and I a story. We listened carefully.

It went like this: three hundred years ago, Dernom and Hercomia were living in perfect harmony. Everything was peaceful and secure.

Hercomia had been a place where dragons roamed freely. They were the King's beloved guests. And it was the same with the metalfangs in Dernom. It was all happy. I guessed so anyway. But one day a metalfang killed a dragon, both of whom were immortal. This caused the feud that broke the treaty. The rulers of Dernom were banished to Earth, along with the spirituals who were closest to them. The metalfang was also banished with all of Queen Ebony's animals. One of which was a…gryphon! Wow. I had my ancestor's gryphon, and the metalfang who had broke the treaty here in Dernom with me. Wicked sweet.

When he was finished, we stared at him momentarily.

"Is that all? This war is over a _metalfang killing a dragon!_ Just because I brought Madison back to Dernom!" I exclaimed, furious. Griffy barked out some insults to the foolish prince, all of which are too rude to be wrote down in this book.

"Yes it is! You brought the beast that killed the red Fire Dragon back here!" he shouted the accusation.

I thought for a second. Red Fire Dragon. Where else had I heard that? Llyn Dinas! Of course! The Welsh myth where the red dragon had killed the white dragon who tried to destroy its nest at Llyn Dinas, below where Dinas Emrys was built! It wasn't Madison who had really killed the dragon.

"No, I didn't. That 'beast' was killed many years ago in a place called Wales. Another dragon killed it!" I was right. I was sure of it.

"Ali, that's true! How did you figure it out? I never knew that, but I can still tell." She said, tapping her head. I laughed.

"One of my friends is Welsh. She used to tell us the story."

Pevency looked enraged.

"Y-you are wrong!" he screamed, his voice trembling with anger. I was sure I looked completely taken aback.

"No, I'm not. That beast is dead. My friend has a piano made of the bone from its horn. It is smoother than lighter than anything I have ever known. Lovely sound too."

Trish grinned, knowing I was telling the truth. It was a funny story from her perspective.

Richard came forward.

"What a well prepared tale." He exclaimed. I glared at him and he ran back behind the guards.

"If you are going to continue to waste my time, I'll be departing. I have no patience for this." I said, sighing. I turned. "Until next time Pevency." I called over my shoulder.

Griffy bounded to my side. I jumped on and waited as Trish gathered her notes and got on, securing them into my little bag.

We flew back to the castle in a reassured silence that comforted us both.

I didn't notice the fire at first. Until we were directly above the castle, falling in a nose dive towards the blazing Zoo. Griffy reared up and we saw with terrifying clarity the dragons. Of all colours attacking. A random thought popped into my head.

"Wales! Hold on Trish, we're going to—" My voice was lost in the roar of a gold dragon. Below, I could see Leo, wolfed up and fighting for his life.

Erg. Now I had to save him. And Annie and Amy, fighting beside him. Oh, also Lottie, defending the twins from a smaller black dragon swiping at them with its barbed wings. I couldn't see anybody else who needed help as desperately. Madison bit the black dragon and flung it across the garden. Lottie clambered aboard her back. Amy pulled herself on and helped the injured Annie up. Now I just had to get Leo. Easy.

We swopped back down and I jumped off two metres from the ground. With a swipe of my hand the gold dragon passed out. I ran to Leo, who was limping on his back leg. Oh great.

I touched Leo's snout frantically begging him to turn back quickly. He managed to pull himself away from the wolf form. He looked terrible, but I was sure I did too. I pulled his arm over my shoulder and half-dragged him to Griffy, who bent low to help Leo on. I seated myself in front of him. Trish used her scarf to secure Leo to the saddle and perched precariously on the back of it. I opened a portal to Wales with ease.

I didn't recognise the light green hills and the cloudless blue sky at first. Of course. It was summer. I had only ever been in the winter, when the hills were a delicate snow covered grey and the sky either blindingly white of shockingly dark. I finally saw the ruins of Dinas Emrys in the distance. I called to Lottie on Madison.

"Come on! Follow us!" I shouted, watching the portal. The image was blurring, darkening, changing.

Then I could see the dark shimmering surface of Llyn Dinas in the underground dragon lair. I had never been there before, but I somehow knew it was Llyn Dinas. Oh, and there was a sign painted in Welsh telling me exactly that.

Grinning idiotically, I urged Griffy through the portal. This was going to be fun.

Why was I covered in water? Griffy moved desperately to do escape the overwhelming cascade of water drowning us. I swooped out of the water and through the dark and dank cavern.


End file.
